


Lifeline

by theabeatrice



Category: The School for Good and Evil - Soman Chainani
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, F/F, F/M, ITS ABOUT THE YEARNING, M/M, Multi, Secret Identity, a masquerade ball? more likely than u think, detective! agatha, everybody gets cool powers! :D, except in self defense, fashion heirs ravan and anadil!! theyre roommates!!, kei and rhian? more likely than u think, mom callis is sum we all need, my goal is to make ppl wail incoherently, ravan loves pears dont touch his fuckin pears, soulmate au! where u physically can't hurt ur soulmate, superhero! tedros, supervillain! sophie, tedros nd dot are bffs!!, theyre aged up uwu in their twenties
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-28
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 10:21:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24968131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theabeatrice/pseuds/theabeatrice
Summary: In a world of powerful superheroes and supervillains, Agatha is only a lowly detective that swore off solving crime years ago. But her past comes back to haunt her when she hears her best friend got murdered.Determined to do one last case, Agatha swears to find her best friend's killer and deliver justice once and for all, but gets thrown in for a loop when Tedros Pendragon, Endless City's #1 superhero and her true love, claims to be the killer.
Relationships: Agatha/Tedros (The School for Good and Evil), Anadil/Hester (The School for Good and Evil), Chaddick/Nicholas/Yara (The School for Good and Evil), Hort/Ravan (The School for Good and Evil), Kei & Rhian (The School for Good and Evil), Nicola/Sophie (The School for Good and Evil)
Comments: 70
Kudos: 96





	1. preface

**Author's Note:**

> hey yall thea here. thank u for taking a chance on this story. ngl this is prob gonna be the only fanfic i'll ever write in my entire life just bc im too lazy to write anythin else LMAO. hope yall enjoy & when yall get to the later chapters and things start going down pls remember u signed up for this mwah x

  
**_S_** **UMMARY**

IN A WORLD of powerful superheroes and supervillains, Agatha is only a lowly detective that swore off solving crime years ago. But her past comes back to haunt her when she hears her best friend got murdered. Determined to do one last case, Agatha swears to find her best friend's killer and deliver justice once and for all, but gets thrown in for a loop when Tedros Pendragon, Endless City's #1 superhero, claims to be both the killer and her true love.

×

**_N_** **OTE**

_none of these characters belong to me; they're from Soman Chainani_

×

**_D_** **EDICATION(S)**

_to kate - u british cranky old man, thank u for being the first supporter of this and editing it._

_to birdman lovers - yall are genuinely amazing and hilarious, love yall xxx._

  
×

**_E_** **PIGRAPH**

_"'Think deeper, Agatha. What links our_   
_greatest heroes?'"_

— **Soman Chainani,** ** _The School for Good_**  
 ** _and Evil_**

×

**_D_ EFINITION**

**LIFELINE** (n.) | 1. a thing on which someone or something depends or which provides a means of escape from a difficult situation

2\. a rope or line used for life-saving, typically one thrown to rescue someone in difficulties in water or one used by sailors to secure themselves to a boat

3\. a line on the palm of a person's hand, regarded as indicating how long they live

×

**_W_** **ARNINGS**

_mention of abuse  
gore and violence  
sexual themes  
brief mention of transphobia  
death  
depression  
cursing_

×

**_S_ OCIALS**

**_ladylesso_ **

instagram | tumblr


	2. première partie

  
  
[ _o_ pening _a_ ct ]  
  


_"Have you learned anything from my gallery, Agatha?" Sader said, turning._

_Agatha eyed taxidermied animals around him. "That you like your students well stuffed?"_

_He didn't smile. "Not every hero achieves glory. But the ones that do share something in common." Apparently he wanted her to guess what this was._

_"They kill villains?" she said._

_"No questions._

_"They kill villains."_   
  


— **Soman Chainani,** ** _The School for Good and Evil_ **


	3. make a wish

**01\. make a wish**

**_A_** **GATHA DOESN'T GET** scared off easily, but at this moment, she'll admit that she's uneasy. 

It had been two days since she’d left her mother in their small house in the rural town of Gavaldon to come to the bustling, dark streets of Endless City. Two days since she heard the terrible news. 

A bolt of pain shot its way into her heart. _Not now,_ she thought. She shoved the emotion away and focused her mind on the situation. On who she was currently facing. 

She was standing, with her hands folded behind her back, on a massive rug, in a dim room covered with velvet walls and ancient paintings, a glass chandelier looming above her. The whole thing screamed opulence; Agatha was afraid to touch anything lest she accidentally break it. There were masked guards hidden in the shadows of the room, but her body was angled towards the giant, mahogany desk at the back, her attention fixed on the woman behind it.

The woman was gorgeous. The type of gorgeous money can't buy but only genetics can give. But looking at the sharp glint in her forest-green eyes, it was obvious that her beauty wasn't her main weapon in this unforgiving city. The woman gave off bad bitch vibes. Not for the first time, Agatha questioned why she put herself into this situation. _Oh, right_ , she groused to herself, _it's because I don't have my powers anymore_. And despite her good track record of moral decisions, it didn't stop her from making stupid ones. Like she was doing right now. 

"So," the woman drawled, the gap between her front teeth visible as she gave Agatha a feline smile, "do we have a deal?" She leaned back in her velvet seat and put her hands in her lap. 

Like striking a deal with the Underworld's unspoken ruler, Evelyn Sader. 

Agatha told her heart to calm down and take a few deep breaths. She nodded curtly.

"We have a deal." 

×

To be fair, Evelyn reached out to her. And by _reached out_ , Agatha really meant _subtly threatened her with bodily harm if she declined_. Agatha could protect herself when needed, she prided herself on not being helpless, but the main reason she’d decided to enter the lion's den was because Evelyn had a lead that Agatha needed to avenge her best friend. It took a day to reach the Endless City from where she lived with her mother, and the other day was filled with Agatha settling into a hotel room and trying to get all the information she could from the news that set the city into a crazed frenzy. 

_BREAKING NEWS! Leviathan Defeated!_

_Endless City's #1 Supervillain Gone! Here's Our List of Suspects._

_The Superpower Hierarchy is Shaken! Who Will Rise to Take Leviathan's Place?_

Agatha didn't get the information she wanted from the news that day. She wanted details on who killed Leviathan, but it was all speculation with no actual evidence, on how the supers community would react to the downfall of one of the most powerful villains the Endless City had ever seen. Agatha was frustrated from the lack of leads, and the mix of anger and grief in her heart only grew stronger with every headline she deemed worthless. 

Unlike the rest of the city, she knew who Leviathan was under the mask. Sophie Hart. Her childhood best friend. Her other half. Sophie left the city because she wanted to make a name for herself — and she did it. She made it into the history books by not only defeating the top superhero in the Endless City at the time but the next two superheroes after that one _and_ the top supervillain at the time. She was unstoppable, untouchable, invincible. She was a storm that would decimate anybody daring to stand in her way of success. She could've taken over the entire city with her hands tied behind her back, no sweat and gotten her nails done afterwards — Red Revenge was her favorite shade. 

The superhero community was understandably worried, while the supervillain community had a week-long party — they even came up with a new dance move: _Levia Than You_. She just took out four supers just like _that_ . The superheroes needed somebody to step up. The problem was that every super that stepped up to the plate got bit, chewed, and spat out by Leviathan. All the while wearing red-bottomed heels with matching sharp nails and a sleek black bodysuit that complimented her dark green snake mask. The fashion magazines had a field day whenever Leviathan made an appearance. _Leviathan Shows the Right Way to Wear Bad_ and _How to be a Bad Bitch Like Leviathan_ were the kind of headlines the magazines liked to pump out, and Sophie would always grin and flip her hair whenever she read them. She had some pinned up on her bedroom wall like trophies. 

But the most iconic piece of Leviathan's costume was her snakeskin cape. And that was the reason Agatha had a deal with Evelyn: to find it. When Evelyn heard Agatha was back in the city, she didn't hesitate to let Agatha know she needed her services; even the Underworld had heard of Agatha's skills as a detective. Evelyn wanted Agatha to find the cape and bring it to her. 

The cape wasn't just a fashion piece — it was Leviathan's weapon. Every serious superhero and supervillain had one. And it wasn't just an object that looked good with their costumes, but a sentient thing that a super called upon when they needed to transform and defeat their opponent. The catch was, supers had to give up part of their souls to make one — a steep price for power. Not to mention that because it was a part of their soul, it contained the super's memories. A weapon was not something you lose. It was a super's biggest strength and greatest weakness. So when Agatha heard that Leviathan's snakeskin cape was missing, she nailed the truth in her bleeding heart: Sophie was dead. She was dead. 

She was dead. She was dead. She was dead. 

And Agatha was going to find the snakeskin cape, access Sophie's memories, find out who murdered her, and make them pay. 

And _pay_ as in she would send them over to the authorities for due punishment. She wasn't a villain, after all. 

Then she would give the cape to Evelyn, leave the city, and leave all of this nonsense behind forever. Agatha didn't know the reason why Evelyn wanted the snakeskin cape; nobody else could transform into Leviathan other than Sophie, because it was part of her soul. And Agatha knew that Evelyn and Leviathan were friends since Evelyn admired her for being a strong, villainous female taking over the city and they could talk about fashion for hours. Maybe she wanted it as a collectible. Agatha would let her have it; she didn't care for Leviathan's legacy in this ruthless city. Only Sophie. 

Only Sophie mattered.

× 

Agatha left the ivy-covered mansion in a hurry with the information Evelyn just gave her rattling around in her head. She felt the guards' eyes follow her as she entered the courtyard with its bubbling fountain. Evelyn's base was set in the North side of the Endless City, known for its grotesque yet refined architecture and foggy hills. It was where the mysterious rich lived. _Mysterious_ as in _morally questionable in how they obtained their wealth_. 

_But_ , Agatha thought, _doesn't that apply to all the rich?_

She passed the arched iron gates of Evelyn's property and slid into her black car. She started it up and was about to speed into the city to go to Papa Pipp's Pub — where Evelyn had told her to go — when her phone pinged with a notification. Agatha grabbed her phone to silence it. But then she saw the notification. 

Her whole body froze. 

_BREAKING NEWS! Tedros Pendragon, AKA Lionspride, Confirmed to be Leviathan's Killer._

She read it 10 more times. Her knuckles were white from clutching her phone so hard. Agatha reminded herself to breathe. She let out a deep breath she'd been holding and leaned back in her car seat. Her eyes were glued to the screen. Her stomach fluttered seeing Tedros' name — and then flipped when she saw it attached to _Leviathan's Killer_. 

She gently set down her phone. _Well, shit_. 


	4. red devil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SORRY IM 15 MINS LATE I WAS WALKING MY DOG

**02\. prodigal daughter**

**_W_ ** **HEN HESTER HEARD** Agatha was back in the city, she wanted to murder her for leaving in the first place.

She got the news from Dot, who she was teaching self-defense. They were in the middle of Hester's loft on the West side, closer to the city center. The 12th floor space had exposed brick walls with large, high windows that gave them a view of the busy city below — and, in the evenings, the sunset. The support beams above had a string of bulbs wrapped around them that provided overhead light. Hester's stereo was blaring some obscure hip-hop song.

Hester, dressed in her gym clothes, her black and red hair into two braids, had both of her palms up for Dot to punch. She was trying to learn how to throw an effective punch, but Hester thought she needed a lot more practice. Her punches were more like light bumps. Unless Dot's problem suddenly wanted to give her fist bumps instead of the usual backhand, she needed to take this more seriously.

"Dot," Hester said, deadpan, "you're killing me here."

Dot, sweaty and dressed in a loose t-shirt and sweatpants, dropped her hands to put them on her hips. She was slightly out of breath and strands of her hair were stuck on her brown forehead. Her coffee-colored eyes were wide.. "Did I hit you that hard?" Hester’s sarcasm had clearly gone over her head; she looked horrified at the thought of hurting her.

Hester subjected her to an exasperated look. 

"Bitch, are you being serious right now?" She dropped her hands and walked over to the kitchen a few paces away. That meant it was break time — Hester heard Dot sigh in relief. Hester flung herself down on one of the counter stools and took a swig of water. Dot followed her and hopped up to sit on the granite counter next to Hester. She nudged Hester's shoulder with her knee. "Thank you for offering to teach me again."

Hester still had water in her mouth she hadn't swallowed yet, giving her a chipmunk look. She shot Dot a look that said, _Shut up_ , then swallowed and said, "Shut up."

Dot grinned. She turned to face the windows, gazing out at the pink and golden sunset that made the city seem softer than it actually was. It reminded her of the gorgeous paintings that were displayed in Center Tower, the heart of Endless City. She wondered who the artist was. 

Hester turned to face the windows and leaned back against the counter. Dot swung her legs in the air. They sat in companionable silence with Hester's music playing softly in the background. They'd been good friends for only a month, but they didn’t need to try hard to be friends. Hester also gave off the impression that if anybody tried to mess with Dot, they would be messing with the wrong crime boss. Not to mention one with _powers_. Dot thought that was the coolest thing. 

Hester's eyes tracked the traffic below. Then it tracked the train of bruises on Dot's arm.

"How's the piece of shit called your dad doing?" Hester asked harshly. Dot, keeping her eyes on the sunset, smiled weakly and shrugged. Hester leaned closer and glared at her until Dot sighed in defeat.

"He's still a drunk," Dot answered. She kept her eyes on the city, but her smile dropped. She wrapped her hands around her middle. Hester faced forward again; she knew Dot had an easier time speaking when eyes weren't on her. "I guess I thought he would miss me if I was gone for a few days. Give him time to calm down. Maybe clean up the house a bit if I wasn't there to do it. Patch up the holes he left in the walls.” She absentmindedly rubbed the bruises on her arm. ”And if he really cared, get some help and stop drinking. But it had the opposite effect." Dot's voice shook a bit, and she quickly cleared her throat. She tried to lighten up her voice. "But at least I got Nicola! She's been a dear, letting me stay over at her place."

Hester was silent for a minute.

Dot looked at her — Hester wasn’t the silent type. Hester's eyes were unfocused, yet full of murder — as if she was ready to march on over to Officer Nottingham's house and commit a nice bit of arson, but not without personally staking him in the heart with a rusted knife and setting his heart on fire, too. Dot wouldn't put it past her. Besides, her powers made it so easy.

Hester was clutching her knee so hard that Dot worried she might leave a bruise. She didn't like that possibility, so, in an attempt to distract her, she tilted her head and said, "You look constipated."

Hester blinked a few times to shift her focus from her bloody fantasies to the present. Her glare softened almost imperceptibly. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I don't shit."

Now it was Dot's turn to blink. "Everybody has to poop."

Hester shook her head and opened her black eyes. "Not me." Dot needed an explanation, but Hester suddenly faced her and asked, "Do you need something for those bruises?"

Dot shook her head. "Nah, Nicola got me. " She tried to lean down to retie her shoelaces but couldn't reach. Her hands looked like she was scooping air, like that would get her closer to her feet. "She's resourceful like that. Oh! That reminds me —" she gave up and straightened "— Nicola told me to tell you something, if I could just remember..." She bit her lip in thought and looked up at the ceiling.

Hester sighed and hopped off the stool. Dot remembering something was going to take a while. Break time was over. She headed back to the middle of the room, her sneakers making the floorboards creak, and spun to face Dot. She held up her hands again and asked, "Do you wanna tell me later after you learn how to punch?"

Dot didn't move from the counter and swung her legs again. Her brow furrowed. "It had something to do with this... _woman_...? What was her name again?" She pursed her lips and drummed her fingers on the counter.

Hester rolled her eyes and leaned back and forth on the balls of her feet. "Hurry up, Dot, you still gotta upgrade from fist bumps to actual punches. And I gotta set up a meeting with the other 'crime boss' in the West side that deserves a much needed reminder of who's _actually_ boss, that little fu —"

"Agatha."

Hester's eyes snapped to Dot's. Her blood roared in her ears. Her hands slowly lowered to her sides as she stopped moving. “What did you just say?” Hester croaked out. 

Dot tilted her head in confusion. "Do you know who that is?"

But Dot's question barely left her lips.

Hester was already out the door. 

× 

"Wait for me!" Dot yelled, running after Hester in the dark hallway. She was a bit behind since she made sure Hester's door was locked. 

Hester was already in the elevator, pushing the button for the lobby. "Hurry up!" she snapped. 

Dot slid through the doors just in time. She sagged against the elevator railing as they went down. "Where are we going?" she panted.

Hester tapped her foot as she kept her gaze on the decreasing floor numbers. _10...8...6_. "We're going to Pipp's," she said. Her heart hadn't stopped pounding in anger and anticipation since Dot blurted out her old friend’s name. Nicola told Dot to tell Hester just one thing: Agatha. And Hester knew immediately where to go. She blew out a breath and tapped her foot faster. 

Dot wiped sweat off her brow. “Are we taking the Flowerground?” The Flowerground Metro was Endless City’s subway system filled with petty crime and subway singers, two things that Hester was greatly offended by. Hester made sure to show her disgust at the question. _No, they were not taking the Flowerground_. Dot nodded in understanding and slipped a chocolate into her mouth. Hester had no idea where she got it from, but nudged Dot because she wanted one too.

_Agatha's back?_ Hester thought as she chewed on her chocolate. Happiness bloomed in her chest until it was overpowered by anger. _Left for a year. That bitch._

"That bitch," Hester muttered. 

Dot looked hurt. Hester rolled her eyes. "Not you, dummy."

"Oh," Dot said happily. She tilted her head often — a puppy-like gesture. "Then were you talking about Agatha? Who is she?" The elevator dinged. They reached the lobby. 

Hester sprang out the doors as soon as she was able to, and hurried through the deserted lobby outside to her motorcycle, the Red Devil. Dot tried to keep up. Hester's guards held the doors open for them. One of them tossed Hester's key to her — she caught it without looking, and they jogged out to a warm night. 

The night sky replaced the warm colors of the earlier sunset, just as honking and shouting replaced the quiet of the lobby. People were still out and about, and more would probably join the pandemonium. The rumbling commotion of Endless City was just getting started. Nighttime in the streets was famous for debauchery, especially in the West side, which was perfect for Hester. 

Dot thanked the guards at the door. Hester took her helmet off her motorcycle's handle and was about to put it on when she noticed Dot behind her. There was only one helmet. 

She put it on Dot's head instead. 

Hester sat, stuck her key into the ignition, and started up her motorcycle. It rumbled to life beneath her. She had named it Red Devil because it was her favorite color, and it matched her personality: temperamental and prideful.

She turned to Dot. "Let's go." She was impatient to get moving. She wasn't irritated at Dot, but if Dot hadn't followed her, she would've already been on the way over there. Hester just needed to see with her own eyes that Agatha — _that runaway bitch_ — was back. 

Hester's hands tightened on the handles. _How dare she leave? And without saying goodbye? The fuck I look like? A housewife waiting for her husband to return from the war? And nothing from her pasty ass while she was gone? That bitch_. 

Dot carefully maneuvered herself to sit behind Hester and gently put her hands on Hester's hips. The Red Devil dipped lower with her weight. "You know, you still haven't told me who this Agatha is."

"Don't worry," Hester growled, "you'll find out." 

They sped off into the night. 


	5. old friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I POSTED ON TIME

**03\. old friends**

**"** **_S_ ** **O, WHAT?" NICOLA** said, slipping Agatha her drink across the sticky counter. She leaned her hip against the wooden bar and crossed her arms. "Doesn't mean I know where it is."

Papa Pipp's Pub was near Central, the heart of Endless City; a coveted position for a business. From here, inhabitants could catch a glimpse of the Endless City Central Towers, the tallest and most iconic skyscrapers in the city. The twin towers hosted the ruler of the city, Soothsayer. Agatha could see their pointed tops impaling the dark clouds above, which signaled an incoming thunderstorm. 

Agatha raised an eyebrow, sipped her drink, and wrapped her hands around her glass. The pub was empty, save for them. She shot Nicola a look. "I knew how close you two were. She even told you that she made Leviathan's costume, which includes her snakeskin cape." Agatha and Nicola were old friends, but Sophie and Nicola were a different matter. 

Nicola snatched the wash rag hanging from her left shoulder and began wiping down the counter. Her curly, black hair was wrapped tightly into a bun, and she was wearing her olive-green, collared work shirt. She said nonchalantly, "She almost never talks about her clients — and I don't know what you mean by  _ close _ ." She was avoiding Agatha's eyes. 

One of the things that made a good detective into a great one was how often they listened to their intuition. And Agatha was a good listener. She always suspected that there was  _ something _ between Nicola and Sophie, no matter how much they sniped at each other, to the point where Sophie might've trusted Nicola with her most closely guarded secret. But as Agatha sipped her drink again and tapped her fingers against the glass in thought, she studied Nicola's face. 

Her face was tense, but not in a suspicious way that frequently accompanied the talk of supers. It was closer to a wince — the type that frequently accompanied awkward talks about love lives. It was obvious that Nicola didn't know about Sophie's alter ego. 

Which was a tragedy because Nicola's powers balanced out Sophie's.  _ A perfect match _ , Agatha mused.

Nicola had the power to  _ not _ be affected by powers. She was a Tier 3. More powerful than a Tier 1, those with little to no power, and a Tier 2, those with unimpressive powers, like the ability to tie shoelaces. If she could manipulate her power to shield others as well, that would get her to a Tier 4, but Nicola's power only had enough for herself; she was a mediocre Tier 3. 

One of the reasons Sophie's alter ego, Leviathan, was one of the most powerful supervillains in the city was because of her multiple powers, one of them being mind manipulation, which automatically placed Leviathan to Tier 5, the most rare and powerful Tier. Being a Tier 5 was a godly status, though not coveted. More feared.  _ But wouldn't Sophie like that? _ Agatha first thought when Sophie decided to create an alter ego. She was surprised when Sophie thought of having a secret identity in the first place. 

Agatha remembered the conversation she had with Sophie. She’d asked Sophie the reason why —  _ why create an alter-ego? What was the aim? _ — and Sophie sighed, mingling endearment and exasperation.  _ Darling _ , she said, flipping her white-blonde locks over her shoulder,  _ I do love the attention — and the smell of fear whenever someone says Leviathan's name — but don't you think I love my life just a  _ bit _ more? _ She’d been putting on blood red lipstick at the time, getting ready for a performance at the theatre she worked at. She smacked her lips when she was finished, and grinned at Agatha.  _ Self-preservation comes first _ .

Sophie knew that the higher you were, the harder you fell. She wasn't dumb, like she often made herself out to be — she used that to her advantage in almost all aspects of life. The only ones who were ever able to see through it were Agatha — and Nicola. 

Switching gears from detective to concerned, yet nosy, friend, Agatha eyed Nicola skeptically. "So you two never — "

"No." 

Agatha just eyed her, sipped from her glass, and waited. She was sitting at the bar in her black hoodie and ripped jeans. Even though the place was empty, the TVs were still on and broadcasting the latest news. The sound of Beatrix's voice, the newscaster for Jaunt Jolie News, filled the silence. 

Nicola furiously wiped the counter next to Agatha and stopped suddenly. She confessed, "Sophie always insisted she was straight, and I was —  _ frustrated. _ I always called her out on her internalized compulsory heterosexuality, since she forced herself to kiss boys." Nicola's eyes were unfocused, resting on the wash rag in her hand.  _ And I always wished she would kiss me instead _ . 

"You wished she would kiss you instead?" Agatha asked gently. It wasn't really a question. 

Nicola's head snapped up. She looked at Agatha, a slightly panicked but puzzled look on her face. "I didn't say that."

Agatha blinked. It sounded like Nicola said it out loud — 

She suddenly noted how her ears tingled. She hadn't had this feeling in over a year. Panic and elation bubbled inside her. 

The TV above Nicola and Agatha's head suddenly switched news topics, catching their attention. " _ Breaking News! Never-Before-Seen Footage of Lionspride Taking Down Leviathan! _ " 

Agatha repeatedly slapped Nicola's hand in a frenzy. "Turn it up, turn it up!" Nicola shoved her scarred hand away, grabbed the remote, and turned up the volume as she went to Agatha's side of the bar to see the screen better. The news said it was scavenged footage from the aftermath of the battle. Agatha and Nicola’s eyes were frozen on the grainy video footage unreeling before them. 

Agatha's heart sank.

× 

Tedros Pendragon was the heir to Camelot Co., a multi-billion dollar company; he was also Lionspride, a powerful Tier 4 that ranked number one on the superhero list. Royalty and a hero. 

He was the best of the best — unstoppable, strong, and bright. His weapon was iconic: Excalibur, a sword that allowed Tedros to fly and come back to him on command. Not to mention, he was beautiful with his thick golden locks and earnest, blue eyes. He was a charmer and quick to throw a smile to the adoring crowds. He was the city's most eligible bachelor, making men, women, and non-binary people sigh in admiration whenever his face graced the news outlets and fashion magazines. His face used to be on billboards too, but people tended to be more focused on his chiseled good looks than the road, resulting in an embarrassing amount of automobile accidents. 

When he announced to the city that he was the killer of Leviathan, the general public was shocked — but pleased that the Pride of the Endless City had saved the day once again.

But the entire super community was in an uproar. 

There had to be rules in the overall super community, or else everything would go to shit. They were unspoken rules, but  _ rules  _ nevertheless, and one of the rules was this:  _ you do not mess with a super who has vanquished their Nemesis _ . 

A super's Nemesis was their number one enemy. Superheroes can tangle with other supervillains, supervillains can mess with other superheroes, but a Nemesis was  _ special _ . They were equals competing in the same race to defeat one another, to one-up one another — both would do whatever it takes to cross that finish line of conquering their Nemesis first. And you only ever get one — like a soul mate, but instead of destined to fall in love, they were destined to be at each other’s throats. Superheroes either made sure their Nemesis was in prison or killed them as painlessly as possible; a quick, clean death. Supervillains were more passionate than that, preferring to document the day they conquered their Nemesis in dark triumph and spilled blood.

Once a superhero or supervillain defeated their Nemesis, which normally took  _ years  _ to do, they gained the respect of the entire super community and were not to be messed with. A retirement, of sorts. Regardless if they were a hero or a villain, they earned it. 

Leviathan destroyed her Nemesis a year ago. 

But Lionspride shook the status quo — and there was going to be hell to pay. 

× 

"Holy — " Nicola exclaimed. 

Agatha sat, silent, in distress. Her drink was completely forgotten, her hands slightly shaking. Her mind was reeling. 

The two women looked at each other for a moment, and then turned back to the screen. Beatrix, dressed in a crisp designer suit and her blonde hair shaved on the sides and curly on the top, sat stiffly, staring blankly at the camera like she was still processing what she just saw. Agatha was pretty sure the whole city had the same expression. No one expected what they all just witnessed — not the super community or the general public. Not even Agatha, who knew and cared for Tedros better than anybody else in the entire city. 

To Endless City: Tedros Pendragon. Heir of Camelot Co. Pride of the City. To Agatha: Earnest. An innocent charmer. Her lovable idiot.

The truth: He just killed Leviathan like it was nothing, laughing all the while Leviathan —  _ Sophie, her Sophie _ — was screaming and wailing like a tortured animal. He slaughtered Leviathan.

Just like a supervillain. 

×

Kei had a mission: take out Agatha. 

The renowned detective coming back  _ right  _ when Leviathan was taken out of the way? Definitely not a coincidence — somebody must’ve hired her. And even Kei had heard of Agatha's sharp skills. He agreed she needed to go. 

He was stationed outside Papa Pipp's Pub, a popular destination for locals. It was nighttime, and the streets were deserted; most people would be at the "Wild" West side of the metropolis by now, which was advantageous for Kei. The fewer witnesses, the better. He didn't like to kill, but he learned early on as a kid that on these unforgiving streets, you either kill or be killed. Kei always chose the former option, and was showing no signs of switching. 

He waited in the shadows of an alleyway that was some distance away across the pub. Kei could see Agatha sitting near a black girl standing in shock near the bar. The whole city would've received the "footage" by now. Kei grunted as he readied the silencer on his gun with his gloved hands. He had an easy shot.  _ Quick and painless _ , Kei thought as he aimed at Agatha's head,  _ just like a superhero would do _ . 

He fired. 

The bullet didn't get very far. It was midway to its target until it burst into flames and melted to the cement while it was airborne. 

Kei didn't have time to react. He was suddenly thrown against the brick wall, and crumpled like a rag doll against it. His gun fell from his hand, clattering on the cement. Stars burst in his eyes. His breath left his body. A tattooed arm was pressed against his throat, making it hard to breathe. There was a knife pressed to his stomach. 

"Oh, dear," said a sweet voice. It didn’t come from the person in front of him.

Kei blinked the spots and stars away to see a curvy, brown girl standing a few steps behind his assailant, her eyes wide at the display of violence before her — but her head tilted like she was watching an interesting TV show. The girl sighed and said to the woman with tattoos that was currently a hairsbreadth away from skewering Kei, "This reminds me of last year's Gala."

Kei shifted all his attention to the tall, tattooed woman. She had black hair that faded to red ends, eyes like a crazed demon, and a bad case of resting bitch face. She didn't shift her focus from Kei, but she growled at the girl, "You and I have  _ very _ different memories of last year's Gala."

The girl shrugged and started eating chocolates. Kei's head was knocked a bit too hard against the brick wall, and he didn't know where she got the sweets from, but he unexpectedly wanted one. The woman shoved her knife a little deeper, enough to draw a bit of blood. Kei winced. Even though he was used to killing people in cold blood, he wasn't used to getting caught — never mind  _ during _ the act. His heart beat so loud he was pretty sure it echoed in the dark alleyway. 

"Who sent you to kill Agatha?" the woman asked coldly. She was smart, got straight to the point (no pun intended). 

"Nobody did. I did it for myself," Kei choked out. The scary woman pressed her knife deeper. 

He was slowly getting back his bearings again, so he recognized the hair and the tattoos. "You're Hester," he gasped out, "the West side crime boss." She was known for her fire and shadow powers — her sword and shield — which explained how she snuck up on him and got rid of the bullet. Supervillains had always tried to recruit her whenever they got the chance, but Hester wasn't interested in the glory — only the blood. 

Hester pressed her knife even deeper, the tip of her knife in his stomach now. His blood gushed out. "And you're a dead man in a few seconds if you don't answer my question. Hurry," she snarled as she twisted the knife a bit, rewarding her with a groan of pain from Kei, "I'm not a patient person." 

Kei's mind scrabbled as he tried to find a way out of this situation. He was caught off-guard, but he was a trained assassin. He could get out of this. And seeing the way Hester stood protectively in front of the girl with chocolates, Kei found a way. 

His gun was on the ground, but that wasn't the only weapon he had. He might have no powers, but sometimes skill and quick reflexes beat superpowers. Kei remembered in a sudden clarity:  _ Kill or be killed _ . 

His hand snatched the small knife hidden underneath his coat from his belt, and flung it towards the girl. 

It hit her directly in the hand, the force knocking her against the wall. She leaned heavily against the brick and let out a loud cry of pain, tears already forming at her eyes. It impaled her hand, the middle of the knife stuck in the ripped tissue of her hand. Her blood was streaming as fast as her tears. Kei felt bad for a second, but immediately pushed that emotion away.

Hester's attention was on the crying girl for only a moment — she was about to turn back to Kei, but he’d already dove for his gun. She kicked it out of his way, further into the alley, and shot a fireball at his face. He dodged and rolled to a crouch, and dove out of the way again as another missile shot past his head. She looked ready to deliver death, her face harshly arranged in a damning scowl.

Hester, he knew, was a Tier 4. Powerful as she was, she was going to run out of power soon. Everybody had a power reserve inside them, some as shallow as a pond and some as deep as the sea. She kept throwing fireballs in a wild rage while Kei kept dodging. They were steadily going further back into the alley. 

He was close enough to his gun that if he leaped, he could grab it and end everything right now. He lunged.

A fireball exploded against his chest. 

He crashed to the ground, wheezing. His chest was on fire —  _ literally _ . The smell of his burning flesh was almost enough to make him pass out. The pain was hellish. This was different from his kills, which were cold and quick; this was tortuous and cruel, the pain leeching across his skin. Kei  _ wanted  _ to die just to get away from the pain; he was dying right now, Hester's fire consuming his chest, but it was slow, agonizingly slow —

_ But I gotta see his face before I go _ , he thought desperately about who sent him on this mission in the first place.  _ I need to see him before I’m gone _ . 

Hester prowled towards him, the fire she left in her wake highlighting her dark, demonic eyes.

Kei was on his stomach, his eyes half-lidded. He thought he heard footsteps approaching the alley. He finally noticed his gun an arms length away. He took a steadying breath. Gathering up what was left of his strength, he seized the gun, turned, and shot Hester. 

×

When Agatha arrived at the scene, there was blood everywhere. 

Agatha was used to the sight and didn't hesitate. She crouched down to the crying girl's level. There was a knife on the ground next to her, covered with her blood. She didn't hesitate to throw off her hoodie and wrap it tightly around a girl's bleeding hand. She was crying, and even though Agatha's mind was sharp, her heart was soft. She tried to smile and asked her what her name was.  _ Dot _ , she sniffed. But then Dot's face went from pain to panic.  _ You gotta go help my friend _ . She pointed her non-injured hand further down the alleyway. 

Agatha told Nicola to stay in the pub when she heard a loud cry of pain, and she ran when she heard a gunshot. Agatha always had a weapon on her and was trained in self-defense, but Nicola was a manager of an establishment whose only encounters she had with violence were hagglers and drunk, angry people she could easily throw out. But Nicola and Agatha were too similar, so Agatha wasn't surprised when she heard Nicola running up behind her. She skidded to a stop at the fire and the blood. 

Agatha turned to her. "Go help Dot inside and — " Nicola was already moving; she seemed to know Dot. She put her arm around Dot and helped her up from her blood pooling around her. Nicola demanded answers from her, as they headed to the pub, but Dot just kept sniffing and looking back towards the alley. 

Agatha, grimacing, turned to go help Dot's friend — and started to run when she saw a familiar head of black and red and tattooed skin. Hester was on the ground, clutching her hand against her leg. She was alone, breathing hard and cursing. Agatha skidded to a stop in front of her. 

Hester's head snapped up, pupils large from adrenaline and body tensing up for another fight. Her body straightened in shock when she saw Agatha. Then she growled out, "I'm fine."

Agatha knew better to touch Hester without her permission. She crouched in front of Hester, eyes full of worry. "You literally have a bullet in your leg right now."

×

Hester didn't respond, just studied Agatha's face. They hadn't seen each other in over a year. Agatha looked different, Hester noted. She still had her angular, striking features and flat eyebrows, but her black hair grew out from a buzz cut last year to her ears. Even crouching, Hester could tell Agatha got even taller. 

"Hester," Agatha said hurriedly, eyeing the wound in her leg, "I know you  _ might  _ be angry at me right now, but you've gotta let me help you." 

Hester let out a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes. Her leg really did hurt, but she wasn't gonna cry over it — her ma raised her better than that. But she also wasn't petty enough to not accept help she needed. She nodded at Agatha, who immediately put her hands under Hester's arms, and hauled her up enough to lean against Agatha, who slipped an arm around her. They stumbled out of the alleyway, avoiding Hester’s small fires on the way.

But Hester looked back, wondering where the assassin went. Her hit would’ve taken him down hard, but he vanished after he shot her. He stumbled a lot though, and lost a substantial amount of blood... 

She smirked to herself, even as a glimmer of worry wormed its way into her mind.  _ Probably didn't get very far. _

She was wrong.

  
  
  



	6. everdear

**04\. everdear**

**_K_ ** **EI WAS DYING** . 

He stumbled from alleyway to alleyway, trying to reach the getaway car four blocks away from Papa Pipp's Pub. He coughed up blood as he ran, gloved hand to his ripped shirt, he tried best as he could to staunch the bleeding. But there was nothing he could do for the steady burning that continued to prickle and sear at his skin. The fire was out, but the pain was still there, reminding Kei that he was stupid, that he should've checked his surroundings better, that he was  _ dying _ —

He finally caught a glimpse of a familiar, black car, parked on a deserted side street. The engine was running, and a shadow sat in the driver's seat, waiting for him to get in and go. But he needed to stop for a second.  _ Just a second _ , he pleaded. He was running out of strength to run, to breathe. His vision was blacking out at the edges. Kei paused for a moment to lean against a lamppost, trying to catch his breath but failing. He felt his gun resting against his waistband, where he stashed it after shooting Hester. Kei knew better than to leave evidence. 

All of a sudden, he had the urge to cry. Kei was the one who delivered death, who forcibly introduced countless people to its merciless end. But now that death had her sights set on him, he was instinctively terrified. Like a child scared of the dark. He always thought he would be ready for when his end came — but it turned out that he was just like everybody else. 

_ Death humbles a person _ , Kei thought numbly. 

He knew he couldn't make it to the car — he was already slipping and falling to the ground —

The last thing Kei saw before he blacked out was the driver's door opening, revealing Rhian's panicked, anguished face. He rushed towards him —

The last thing Kei heard was Rhian’s voice, desperately whispering, his name over and over again.

" _ Kei, Kei, Kei _ ."

The last thing Kei felt was Rhian's arms holding him,  _ clutching _ him, like he was forcing Kei to stay here, in this moment, with him. 

The last thing Kei tasted were Rhian's tears on his blood-crusted lips, which were mouthing words like,  _ I'm sorry _ ,  _ I lost _ ,  _ I love you _ , and finally,  _ goodbye _ . 

×

She felt light and heavy at the same time. 

Her body ached with bruises. Her mouth was parched. Her mind was fuzzy with disuse. 

Her eyes were closed. She was so tired. She wanted to go back to sleep.

But a part of her mind wanted to shake off some of its drowsiness, to remember something,  _ anything _ . 

Nothing, at first. Her mind was sleepily slipping back to nothingness. Then. Then —

She remembered. 

_ I was attacked _ .

Her brow furrowed, her blonde hair rustling against her cheek. Then an image:

_ A snakeskin cape, shooting to the skies, commanded to go somewhere safe _ .

She sighed in relief and went back to sleep.

×

Agatha became fast friends with Dot. 

She was easy to get along with, and it didn't hurt that she always had chocolates on her. Agatha had a powerful sweet tooth. But at the moment, Agatha thought that Dot should be more worried over her messed up hand rather than gushing over Agatha. 

"I mean," Dot said, gazing up at Agatha with wide eyes, "you're legendary. I've heard  _ all _ about your cases, like that one where you sent that bastard Aric to jail. I just didn't realize Detective S' first name was Agatha. I always thought that it would start with an  _ S _ , you know? Anybody would've guessed that. But — like,  _ wow. _ " Dot shook her head in amazement and leaned back against the wooden chair. 

Nicola, Agatha, Hester, and Dot were in Papa Pipp's Pub, a medical kit open on the table before them, along with Agatha's blood-soaked hoodie. The TVs were still blaring in the background, replaying the footage with Lionspride and Leviathan. Dot's hand was resting on Nicola's lap where Nicola was gently, methodically wrapping gauze around it. 

Dot suddenly turned to Hester. "Why didn't you tell me  _ Agatha _ was Detective S?" 

Hester was expertly stitching up her leg by herself. She refused to go to a hospital, so Dot refused to go to a hospital. Nicola called them both idiots. Dot agreed. Hester shot Nicola a halfhearted glare. 

Hester was sitting next to Dot, who was sandwiched between her and Nicola. Her leggings were rolled up above her knee. The bullet got her in the shin, but the bullet was already out of Hester, resting on the table, covered with blood.

Hester sighed heavily. "Because you would've freaked out, like what you're doing right now." She finished stitching, grabbed the gauze, and began to wrap it tightly around her shin. Agatha shifted nervously beside her, unsure whether she and Hester were good. 

Hester finished, tossed the rest of the gauze on the table, and looked at Agatha. "What are you doing back in the city?"

Agatha blinked. "Uh, well — I heard" — she fiddled with her sleeve — "that Leviathan got taken down."

Hester raised an eyebrow. "So, after a year of no communication with  _ any _ of your friends, you decided to come back  _ now _ when there's gossip about a supervillain dying?" She leaned back against her chair and crossed her tattooed arms. "Try again, Agatha."

Agatha huffed. "Hester — "

" _ No _ ." Hester leaned forward, suddenly, and looked Agatha dead in the eyes. "You can leave whenever you want — I don't care — but tell me the truth, Agatha. I know you don't care about the super community — about who's taking down who, about whose Nemesis is who's — you give  _ zero _ shits about that kind of stuff, so why are you really back?"

Nicola finished wrapping Dot's hand and said, "You know she talked to Evelyn before she came to either one of us?" She shook her head. Nicola, Hester, and Agatha were a trio. Nicola, the calm waters; Hester, the raging fire; and Agatha, the inquisitive air. 

Hester shot Agatha a look. Agatha shot  _ Nicola _ a look. Nicola rolled her eyes and started cleaning up. 

Then Hester's face darkened with concern. "You bargained with Evelyn? That woman is shady."

Dot stood to help Nicola clean up and asked, "Who's Evelyn?" she asked — then paused. "Wait, is it that lady who owns that famous jewelry company? I've always wanted one of her sapphire butterfly earrings, but they're  _ so _ expensive. I'd have to sell one of my kidneys." 

Nicola grinned at Dot. She teased, "I'll get you one for your birthday."

Dot dropped the tweezers. "No way. Don't do that. You won't — "

Agatha let out a breath and crossed her arms. "I'm back because it's been too long, and I wanted to catch up with people." 

Hester rolled her eyes and clenched her jaw. "Agatha — don't  _ even _ , bitch. You're a horrible liar."

Dot finally caught up on what Agatha first said. Her brain cells were few but worked hard. "Wait, you're here because of Leviathan?" She leaned against the table as Nicola went behind the bar to return the medical kit and throw away the bloodied hoodie. Dot tilted her head to study Agatha. "She died because of Lionspride — who's suspiciously missing during all of this."

Agatha looked around the pub, avoiding Hester and Dot's eyes. "I... I don't think Tedros killed her."

Hester and Dot simultaneously looked at the screen revealing Lionspride manically killing Leviathan, then back at Agatha. Dot's expression said,  _ Is she legally blind?  _ while Hester's said,  _ Is she legally stupid? _

"Okay, I know what it sounds like — " Agatha started.

"It sounds like you still have a soft spot for Tedros — " Hester muttered. 

"You know," Dot pointed out, "the most likely reason Lionspride killed her was because Leviathan took down her Nemesis, last year, right?" She sadly shook her head. "Everybody knows that Lionspride and Everdear had a thing — even I shipped  _ Everspride _ . He probably snapped because he couldn't handle the heartbreak anymore."

Nicola returned to the table with glasses of water for everybody. Dot thanked her, Hester nodded her gratitude, but Agatha just stood in silence for a moment. 

Nicola handed Agatha her glass, which snapped Agatha out of her thoughts. She chugged it down, feeling parched all of a sudden, but she could feel Nicola's eyes on her. 

Agatha wiped off her chin. "What?" 

Nicola gave her an odd look, then shook her head. "Nothing." She took a sip of her own glass. "When I was putting back the kit, the smell of alcohol just reminded me that Sophie had a new apartment because when she bought it and wanted to celebrate, we were wasted," Nicola reminisced, then snapped to attention when she saw Agatha smirking at her. "That's where she did clothing repairs and dressmaking, so maybe Leviathan's cape is over there. I'll text you the address and give you the extra key."

Agatha brightened, guilt washed away with the new information. "Thanks, Nic."

"But why does Evelyn want her cape?" Nicola set her glass on the table and looked hard at Agatha. Dot had challenged Hester to a game of rock-paper-scissors, but they were both paying attention now. "She might be ruler of the Underworld while being a CEO of a jewelry corporation on the side, but I don't get it."

Agatha shrugged, but she privately agreed. It would be worth shelving Nicola's thoughts. She went to Evelyn for help with finding Sophie's killer, but now that the whole city believed that it was Tedros her question should've been answered. But instead, there were just more questions. It would've frustrated a normal person, but Agatha was a damn good detective for a reason — it just fueled her further. She was determined to find answers, no matter what. 

And she knew in her heart that Sophie's snakeskin cape had all the answers she needed.

She just had to find it.

×

It was late, so Agatha said her goodbyes and did her handshake with Nicola (Nic had custom handshakes with all of her friends), hugged Dot (who gave Agatha some chocolates), and promised Hester they'll catch up soon (Hester rolled her eyes, but gave her an fond glare).

Nicola lived above the pub with Dot as her new roommate, so they didn't have to travel through dangerous streets to get home. Hester could only limp with her fresh wound, so she was staying over at Nicola's place for the night. (Dot was excited at the concept of a sleepover.)

Agatha was exhausted — she hadn't rested ever since she heard Sophie was dead — but she still drove to Sophie's new apartment. She drove the main roads, the lights of skyscrapers streaking behind her like shooting stars as she drove past. Agatha loved night driving. She paid more attention to details, like how the dark and light of the city's shadows and illumination played off each other so well, reflecting the metropolis' inner struggle of heroes and villains perfectly. There was something comforting about how the darkness made her feel things more keenly, but without any judgement. The nighttime was a safe space for thinking and feeling. 

Sophie's apartment was in the heart of Central, not that far a drive. On the way, Agatha passed the magnificent twin towers, the sharp tops always obscured by gray, heavy clouds. One for the good, one for the wicked. Central Towers was where Soothsayer resided, the ruler of Endless City. No one had ever seen his face.  _ Which makes sense _ , Agatha yawned,  _ since he's a Tier 5 _ . If anybody ever found out his real identity, their benevolent ruler would be gone, and then where would that leave the city?

People treated him like a god, and with his prophetic powers, Agatha didn't blame them. He kept Endless City under control, protecting the general public's interests, and didn’t directly interfere with the tension between superheroes and supervillains. Although he did have an important role in creating them — more specifically, creating their weapons. 

If you wanted a weapon, you went to Soothsayer. Sees all, knows all — including how to forge a weapon from a part of your soul, which was essential to become a superhero or a supervillain.

And he never asked for anything in return but just one thing: no one must know his real identity.  _ If it ever gets out _ , he claimed,  _ I will leave and never come back _ . So, despite whether a citizen was a hero, a villain, or just an ordinary person, they respected Soothsayer's wishes and he respected theirs. He was left alone to rule benevolently and justly.

_ Still _ , Agatha pondered,  _ he must be lonely _ .

She parked up alongside Sophie's mid-rise, modern apartment building and went inside.

Sophie's apartment was on the highest floor, and Agatha was so grateful there was an elevator. It stopped at the 12th floor, and Agatha stepped out into a hallway decorated with exquisite copper wallpaper and white carpet, until she reached the mahogany door labeled  _ 66 _ . 

Agatha put the key in, twisted, and opened the door. 

She immediately noticed the open window, drapes fluttering in the gentle wind. The moonlight gave Agatha a clear picture of the space. Dark green and black tones, with splashes of red. It was well-furnished, elegant, slightly frivolous. Perfect for Sophie —

Then her gaze shifted, and she noticed she wasn’t alone. The male figure was sitting on one of the loveseats, the darkness concealing his features. But when he shot up at the sight of her, the moonlight revealed a face she would know anywhere. 

Agatha backed up a step, her heart thundering — and fluttering.

"Tedros?"

  
  
  
  
  



	7. nemesis

**05\. nemesis**

**_T_** **WO YEARS AGO** , Agatha knew that the city needed someone to temper Leviathan.

And Sophie knew that she was bored.

"Aggie," she would complain, "I'm so _bored_ at the lack of competition in this city!" And she would flop dramatically down on her bed arms and legs akimbo, blonde locks falling over the side. This would happen weekly. Sophie as Leviathan would defeat whoever stood in her way with no remorse and all flourish, and then come back home pouting.

It was during one of these pouting sessions that Sophie suddenly shot up from her usual damsel in distress pose, looked at Agatha with a wicked gleam in her eye, and said, "You should be my Nemesis."

Agatha was eating a plate of spaghetti on the floor. Then she was choking on spaghetti on the floor. "W-What?"

She stood up to get a glass of water from the kitchen, and Sophie followed her.

"Aggie, it's brilliant. _I'm_ brilliant." She held her hand to her chest, an excited smile on her face. Her smiles always had an edge of wickedness. "This city needs some excitement — more importantly, _I_ do — and what's more exciting than a new debut superhero?"

Agatha chugged down her water. She slammed the glass down, almost enough to shatter it. Her heart was pounding. "Sophie, that's mad." But Agatha had to admit to herself that she'd thought about it a couple of times.

The only thing that was stopping her was waiting for yet another superhero to try to take down Leviathan, which always ended in celebration for the supervillain community. It would happen weekly, like a TV series dropping an episode. It was entertainment for the whole city. It was just a waiting game to see who Leviathan would take down next.

But Agatha had never been the waiting type.

As Sophie's best friend, she knew that Sophie would do something drastic if she wasn't intellectually stimulated enough as a supervillain. She needed a Nemesis, to have some fun and keep her attention off the possibility that she could take over Endless City if she dared. If she did, she would happily dominate the metropolis, believing that it was better under her command, but imagining Sophie ruling the city — then its downfall once Sophie became bored of it — gave Agatha a strong resolve to protect the city from that fate.

Agatha had been hoping that the established superheroes would be enough for Sophie, but they were dropping like flies. So, now, it was Agatha's turn.

Sophie was leaning against the counter, staring at Agatha, waiting — the only person she would wait for.

Agatha was staring down in thought and absentmindedly biting her nails. Then her eyes focused and she straightened when she made a decision.

She turned to Sophie, who had a hint of a satisfied smirk at the corner of her lips. Her emerald eyes twinkled. She knew she had Agatha — Sophie probably knew Agatha's answer the moment she suggested Agatha become her Nemesis.

Agatha asked, "What would my superhero name even be?"

Sophie grinned.

×

Everdear. The Shield of Endless City. Leviathan's Nemesis. Agatha's alter ego.

Agatha would use Everdear as a buffer to Leviathan to keep Endless City safe. Sophie would use Everdear to make sure Leviathan was still in the spotlight and have some fun with her closest friend. It was a perfect ruse — and Sophie _loved_ the dramatic idea of publicly fighting her Nemesis who was secretly her best friend.

She even designed Everdear's costume. Despite Sophie's many attempts to make it as eye-catching and glamorous as Leviathan's, Agatha won. A simple look: a form fitting grey suit that covered Agatha up to her neck and all the way to her wrists, covered with a blue cape and paired with a grey mask. Sophie couldn't resist adding silver cuffs to match with Agatha's weapon.

Agatha went to the Central Towers with Sophie that day to make herself a weapon for the first time. It was... a weird experience, and Soothsayer reminded her of someone. But because he was wearing his iconic silver mask, she couldn't reach any real conclusion. But despite not being able to see his face, she strangely felt comfortable around him. Agatha had walked out the Towers with Sophie, feeling strange and light.

Supers had weapons to enhance and sharpen their power; without a weapon, their powers would be as easy to control as a sneeze. And all had weapons that were big enough to take someone on, like Lionspride's sword and Leviathan's cape. It was also big enough to make sure that it would be hard to destroy, even though that was unthinkable. Supers just kill each other, not the weapon. When a super dies, their weapon returns to being an inanimate object — still containing their memories but only the most recent. Nobody knows what occurs when the opposite happens: a weapon dies before the super. No one dares to find out.

But Agatha was a smart and simple girl. She wouldn't make her weapon that obvious. And the fact that anybody could access her memories if they got hold of her weapon was so anxiety-inducing that Agatha knew her weapon wouldn't be like a typical super's. It would be small and unnoticeable enough that she could casually wear it in the streets without worrying anybody would expose her.

So she decided on _two_ simple, silver rings that she wore on each middle finger.

Agatha S. Detective by day, Everdear by night. Sophie H. Actress by day, Leviathan by night.

Everdear vs. Leviathan. Superhero vs. Supervillain. Good vs. Evil. Best friends by day, enemies by night.

The city was pleasantly surprised when Everdear came onto the scene, with her magical ability to not only control the weather but to shield herself against Leviathan's mind manipulation — and then were _ecstatic_ when she wasn't just a superhero, but Leviathan's Nemesis. _Finally_ , Endless City exclaimed, _a new superhero!_ The superhero community cried in relief. The supervillain community weren't worried; they still rooted for their queen and savior, eager to see Leviathan take this one down as ruthlessly as the others.

Agatha and Sophie decided early on that Agatha's Tier 5 power to hear and grant wishes should be kept secret, for fear that someone — superhero or supervillain — would kidnap Agatha and use her for their own gain. It was too open-ended a power to be taken lightly. Agatha wasn't helpless, but it was better to be safe than sorry in this city. So, they decided that every time Leviathan and Everdear went head to head, Sophie would wish for Agatha to control the weather.

It was supposed to be simple. A little game, an inside joke. Until a certain golden boy stepped into the picture.

Or, more accurately, _flew_ into the picture.

×

A few months after Agatha's debut as Everdear, she was fighting Leviathan near the South side of the city when Leviathan accidentally put too much power into her punch.

The South side was the overcast, gloomy industrial quarter, filled with imposing factories and streets covered with grime. People were staring in awe at the spectacle at the top of one of the highest factories, where lightning flashed and wind was swirling around two figures.

They were staring in wonder and gasped in excitement whenever one landed a blow on the other — but those delighted gasps quickly turned to ones of horror when Everdear suddenly dropped off the factory.

She fell like a star.

The crowd was panicking, some running around to try to find a sheet that would be big enough to catch her, some fainting in distress. Some witnesses even claimed they heard Leviathan wail in distress — probably because her Nemesis would fall to death rather than by her own hand, they said. But then a worried child clutching her father's hand suddenly pointed up at the sky and shouted in delight.

The crowd cheered when they recognized the iconic, golden locks fluttering in the wind, and the silver sword that gave Lionspride his flying powers. He was a shining light among the dark clouds looming above, his golden armor and brown cape easy to track. Lionspride was soaring towards Everdear, who was flailing her arms, trying to control the wind to slow her down. She fell 60 feet, 40 feet, 30 feet —

He caught her in his arms.

×

Lionspride flew them to the top of a nearby building, landing gently on his feet.

Agatha — it was still new and strange to think of herself as Everdear — ought to feel grateful, but instead, felt frustrated and embarrassed that somebody saved her instead of saving herself, which she was fully capable of, even falling to her death. She tried to get out of his arms, but he just clutched her tighter to his broad chest.

"Wait," he grunted out when she accidentally elbowed his ribs, "you're hurt."

She elbowed his ribs again — apparently, it wasn't an accident. She snapped, "I'm not, so put me _down_."

×

For some reason, Tedros didn't want to let her go.

_Everdear_ , he remembered. _She goes by Everdear_.

She said she wasn't hurt, but she was clearly holding her arm to her chest in a way that told him it was sprained — probably from Leviathan's hit that made her fall off the factory. But Tedros knew that wasn't the reason; the glare she was giving him underneath her mask told him that she wasn't the type that needed coddling.

_So, what's the reason?_ Tedros mused. Her brown eyes continued to glare at him. She angrily shifted in his arms again.

_Oh_. Tedros had a rare light-bulb moment. _She just... fits here. In my arms_.

She suddenly rocked herself hard enough to force herself out of his arms and onto her feet. She stumbled away from him, finally giving him a good look at her. She was taller than him, a foot or so, and was lanky and thin. Her black hair was in a tight bun at the nape of her neck, which was flushing red. He hadn't noticed that before — he wondered what might have caused it.

She spun around to face him, a scowl settling onto her face. He couldn't see much of it besides her big, brown eyes and her mouth, which Tedros had to tear his eyes away from to study her mask. It was simple, unlike his, which was a golden lion.

If anybody were to see them, facing one another, they would see shining gold and shimmering silver, brown and blue capes that fittingly matched the other's eye color —a pair.

_A match_ , he thought, his heart racing.

He suddenly wanted to know her name — her _real_ name — and was about to ask her when Leviathan appeared.

×

Sophie arrived on the scene, her snakeskin cape levitating her from the factory to the rooftop. She completed the triangle between Everdear and Lionspride, the sharp point. She felt guilty when she accidentally sent Aggie over the edge, but it was quickly evaporated by relief and curiosity when she saw Lionspride save her. He was legendary for saving damsels in distress — a modern knight in shining armor.

She tilted her head to study Lionspride better. He was gorgeous, even with his mask on. She wondered who was beneath it, but her thoughts and body suddenly sharpened in alarm when Lionspride spun to her and narrowed his eyes in threat.

In his eyes, he saw Leviathan, a powerful supervillain. An enemy.

He drew his sword and shot towards her.

×

In Agatha's eyes, she saw Sophie, her best friend. Her first friend.

She gasped and shot towards her.

Lionspride was fast, but Agatha was desperate. She ran after him, still holding her sprained arm. She had long legs — _I can make it, I can make it_ , Agatha thought.

Sophie's eyes were wide, her green eyes so clear and shocked, about to open her mouth, use her power to tell Lionspride to stop —

×

He lifted up his sword, ready to swing it down in an arc to strike Leviathan.

Sophie instinctively lifted up her arm to protect herself, a shadow falling over her.

The sword met Everdear's shoulder instead. Or it was _supposed_ to — if Lionspride's sword hadn't glided off Everdear like a raindrop. He snapped back his sword back to his side in horror — he could've hurt her. _What was she doing, protecting her Nemesis like that?_ His weapon should've impaled her shoulder, but his sword just slid off her shoulder like two magnets repelling each other. There was a force there that prevented Tedros from attacking her.

Lionspride took a step back, his mouth slack with shock. Leviathan snapped her arm back down when she realized Everdear defended her, and Everdear was staring at him, just as bewildered as he was.

His mind tried to work past its usual speed.

_I can't hurt her_ , he realized.

"You're my soulmate," he blurted out.

×

_Oh my God_ , Sophie thought, _they're soulmates_.

In this world of powers that offered ordinary people the capacity for good and evil, there was also a great capacity for love. Some people were born with powers, some weren't. Some people were born with destined soul mates, some weren't. It was all just a matter of chance. But if the world _did_ gift one with a soul mate, it also removed one's ability to physically harm them. There were bits and pieces of soulmate stories everywhere, some ending in tragedy and some ending in happily ever after.

Sophie glanced between them. Lionspride standing in shock, his arms loose at his sides, and Agatha slowly rising, her bony shoulders slouched with confusion. Sophie hoped her best friend's would end in happily ever after.

She noticed how tense they both were. _Oh, dear, they need a moment._ She paused. _But I want to be here for it_.

Agatha shot her a look. She'd clearly heard Sophie's wish. Sophie sighed.

"Oh, _well_ ," Sophie said, silently commanding her snakeskin cape to take her back to her place, "I _guess_ I'll leave you two lovebirds to it." She shot Agatha a look that said, _You better leave no details out once I force you to tell me_. Agatha let out a sigh.

Lionspride stopped staring at Agatha and squinted at Sophie. "You're... just going to leave?" He glanced at Agatha again. "Without... attacking your Nemesis?"

Sophie raised an eyebrow. Her mask probably hid it, but she was sure anybody could just tell. She put her hand on her hip though, just in case. "Darling, I could attack Everdear whenever I want — it's just that this has been going on for longer than I thought, and I must simply get back home to fix my hair because _somebody_ —" she glared at Agatha — "ruined it with the wind, and I can't allow the press to see me like this without being a hundred percent. _And_ it would be so much worse if I tried to kill Everdear now — imagine the blood stains! I simply can't deal with my hair and a stain on my outfit at the same time. So, _yes_ , I'm leaving."

Lionspride blinked. He looked at her perfectly primed hair, not a hair out of place.

Sophie shot up into the dark clouds, leaving the two of them alone.

×

Agatha was about to follow Sophie when Lionspride caught her shoulder.

"Wait, hold up," he said. He walked around to face her, his sword back in its sheath. His cape swished around his legs, his armor clanking as he hurried to address her. "You're still hurt."

Agatha was pretty sure her entire face was blushing. Thank goodness she had a mask on. Her mind and heart was racing. Never, in her wildest dreams, did she think that she would get a soul mate, let alone _meet_ them. But under these circumstances? When it's essential to a super's position to never reveal their real identity? Of course there was a catch.

"Um, listen," she took a deep breath and forced herself to meet his eyes, "I — uh, this whole soulmate thing? I know it's written in the stars, but uh, our choices matter too, so —" she couldn't handle his intense gaze anymore, so she looked at everything besides him — "yeah, that's it. I don't want to force you to be with me, basically."

Lionspride slouched, his blue eyes disappointed. "So, uh, you don't wanna... get to know me?" He scratched his neck. Agatha wanted to throw herself off the roof — how do you even navigate a conversation like this?

"No! I mean," she huffed out a breath, embarrassed she had to say this out loud, "I mean, _yes,_ I do want to get to know you, but I'm just saying that it's more than okay to say no to this —"

Lionspride was already shaking his head. "No, no, I want to get to know you. I want this."

_Oh_ , Agatha thought. She was internally screaming.

He gave her a shaky smile. He fidgeted. "Do we... tell each other our real identities?" He seemed eager to, for some reason.

Agatha blinked. That was actually a good question. "Um, no, I don't think so, at least not at this moment. We just met."

He slouched again. "Oh." Then he straightened up, a smile on his face. "But okay, that makes sense." Then he frowned. "But — how would I take you out on a date — "

"Uh, yeah, okay, slow down for a second," Agatha said. She was shaking, and she was nervous, but a bit excited. She tried to put her hand out, but then winced in alarm when a bolt of pain shot through her arm.

Lionspride unconsciously took a step forward. "Do you need some help?"

Agatha thought, _Well yeah, obviously_ , but considered his earnest stance and worried eyes, and dropped the thought. Instead, she shook her head. "No, I'm good."

He eyed her arm again and narrowed his eyes. "You should go to the hospital."

She narrowed her eyes. "No, I said I'm good." She paused. "Besides, it's far away, and the Flowerground has a lot of rules that I forget whenever they tell me, so — AHH!"

Lionspride hoisted her up in his arms and flew away to the nearest hospital. He tried to hide a smile whilst she shouted in his ear, but eventually, Agatha admitted to herself that his arms weren't a bad place to be in.

×

Two years later, Agatha faced him once again, this time in Sophie's new apartment and with her knowing Lionspride's real identity: Tedros Pendragon. He told her a year ago. She was planning to tell him shortly after; they trusted each other enough by then. But then Agatha lost her powers. She still had no idea how, or why, but Everdear essentially died. And she had to leave the city because she needed her mother. It was hard to express the dark period she'd been through after she lost her powers, but now she had a word for it: depression. She was better after time with Callis, but it still dragged her down from time to time. It would for a while.

And looking at Tedros' eyes in the darkness of the apartment, Agatha knew that he was still suffering through it. _I'm so sorry_ , she silently said, _for putting you through that_.

"Who are you?"

Agatha snapped back to the moment. Tedros was here, in Sophie's apartment. The footage of him killing Leviathan replayed in her mind. Her body tensed. Her mind screamed, _that's my best friend's murderer!_ while her heart rioted against the thought. _Why was he here? How did he know to come here?_ An answer shot to her mind: to find Leviathan's cape, to destroy it, so he can erase her legacy completely because killing her wasn't enough. Agatha's blood boiled, her grief for Sophie fueling her, even as her heart said, _Wait, wait, wait_.

Tedros was still standing, clearly suspicious, but when Agatha's face suddenly hardened in anger at her thoughts, he tensed for a fight, his hand resting on his sword.

Agatha said, "What are you doing here? Killing her wasn't enough?"

Tedros' face instantly dropped, his defenses down. Agatha took her opportunity.

Agatha might not have her powers anymore, but she still knew how to fight. She ran towards him, hoping to knock him out before he could do anything. She aimed a punch. But in the year she'd been gone, she'd forgotten: even though his thoughts were slow, his reflexes were fast.

He caught her fist. _Okay, Plan B, then_ , Agatha thought. She kneed him in the groin.

He immediately yelped in pain and doubled over, but still didn't let go of her fist. She tried to snatch her hand back, but he recovered quickly, and slammed her against the wall, her hand trapped in his above their heads. Agatha shot up her knee again, but he quickly gripped that with his other hand, anticipating it.

They were nose to nose.

Tedros blinked and froze.

Agatha blinked and _moved_. She used her remaining hand to snatch Excalibur from Tedros' side and aimed it at him to put some distance between them. He let go of her hand and knee, backing off to avoid being stabbed.

Agatha let out the breath she was holding, and stared at Tedros, at the opposite end of his sword. He still looked the same, with his golden locks and blue eyes. He was wearing an expensive looking peacoat, and he looked frustrated — but sad?

"Listen," he gritted out, daring to take a step forward, "I didn't kill — "

Agatha snapped, "Stay back." But then his eyes suddenly flickered down to the sword in her grasp, and reflexively, Agatha did too. A mistake.

When a person accesses a weapon's memories, they have to carry the weapon as if they're the original owner, with a question in mind about the person. Agatha knew that to access Sophie's most recent memories — her dying — she would have to put the cape on and ask: _Who killed Sophie?_

For Tedros' weapon? She would have to hold the sword out and look at the blade. Which she had just done. Agatha had had the question in her mind ever since she'd seen the footage of Lionspride and Leviathan: _Did Tedros really kill her?_

The sword knew what to do. _Oh, shit_ , Agatha briefly thought. She saw Tedros widen his eyes at her before her's lost focus and —

Agatha was sucked into Tedros' memories.


	8. excalibur

**06\. excalibur**

**_T_ ** **EDROS WAS KNEELING** . 

Agatha was a ghost in his memories, light passing through her. She stood on the grass behind him, a marble monument looming above them. She could tell straight away from the lack of buildings around her and the open, blue sky that they weren't in Endless City. 

A quick glance around told her they were in a graveyard, different shaped stones dotting the landscape, a circular lake nearby. A statue of an angel gazed skywards. She looked up at the monument in front of them, various flowers, decaying and fresh, crowded along its edges.

Not a monument, but a memorial.

_ In gore and glory. May you rest in peace.  _

_ Everdear _

_ Shield of Endless City _

Agatha took a breath. The monument depicted Everdear in her costume, cape flowing outwards, face serious but kind, looking beyond the distance. Her marble hands were formed into fists at her side, ready to deliver justice, with her silver rings  _ actually _ coated in silver, clear and shining in the sunlight. A superhero. A martyr. 

Agatha looked at Tedros.  _ A lost lover _ .

The gentle wind ruffled his hair. His head was bowed — whether in mourning or prayer or both, Agatha couldn't tell. He finally lifted up his face to the sun, tears glistening on his chiseled features. Her heart cracked a little — she'd never seen him look so anguished. 

He sniffed and sat back on the balls of his feet, his hands slack on his lap. He never took his eyes off the statue's face, like the rest of the world didn't matter, didn't exist. Tedros stared at Everdear like he would never see it again, taking in the details of her face so devotedly that Agatha was beginning to flush. 

Looking at his outfit, Agatha realized that this memory was recent. He was wearing the same outfit she’d seen on him in the apartment: a lavish blue peacoat and a grey sweater. He wiped his tears on his sleeve, but remained sitting there, staring at Everdear. After a minute, Agatha decided to sit down next to him. 

The grass didn't shift beneath her weight — after all, she wasn't really here. She took another deep breath, watching the leaves dance on the tree a few feet away from the breeze and smelling Tedros' minty scent mix with the fresh air. The morning sun shone softly down from behind the fluffy clouds. It was so quiet and peaceful here, an entirely different world from the fast pace and constant action of Endless City. A steady, slow heartbeat that takes its time compared to an excited, thumping one where every beat screams,  _ go go go _ . 

Tedros' phone pinged, ruining the atmosphere. For a moment, it felt like they were in a fairytale.

Agatha leaned over to look at the date as he opened his lockscreen. She stiffened in shock. This memory was two days ago. The day the news hit that Leviathan was dead. The day Lionspride killed her. 

_ But if he killed her _ , Agatha contemplated,  _ then what is he doing all the way out here? Shouldn't he be in the city right now? Maybe he killed her later today. _

Tedros answered a text from somebody. There were hearts around the contact's name. 

Agatha's heart suddenly rioted. Her eyes narrowed, and she set her jaw. She leaned closer to read the name —

_ Sophie H(e)art _ . 

Her body slackened as Agatha leaned back a bit. Sophie always insisted that hearts be put around her name — she even stole Hester's phone so she could do it herself — so it didn't mean anything. And the idea of Tedros and Sophie together like that? Absurd. But it did tell Agatha that Sophie must've reached out to Tedros after he thought Everdear died a year ago. Sophie knew that Agatha left the city in a hurry with no real explanation as to why, as did Hester and Nicola. But the rest of the city, along with Tedros, believed that Everdear was dead and gone forever. 

_ Sophie was there for him _ , Agatha realized in relief and gratitude,  _ when I couldn't be _ . Sophie was the only one who knew Agatha was Everdear. Hester and Nicola were upset at Agatha leaving without an explanation or a goodbye, but at least they knew she was alive. Endless City grieved for Everdear, especially Tedros. Sophie was alone in the knowledge that she lost her partner in crime and her best friend. Agatha felt the guilt of leaving consuming her once again.

Even when she was back home in Gavaldon, Agatha heard the big news that Lionspride revealed his identity to be Tedros Pendragon, heir to Camelot Co., so he could take time off as a super to grieve. It gave the city whiplash — Everdear, one of their beloved superheroes, just died, and now Lionspride was actually a Pendragon this entire time? People were grieving and in shock for weeks, especially feeling bad for Tedros, who just lost his true love against her Nemesis.

Agatha had known a day beforehand, when he confessed to her, but she was still taking it in — that one of the most eligible bachelors in the city was her soulmate. And she remembered the brief conversation she had with Sophie before leaving the city; Agatha was crying, her emotions all over the place, her normally radiant silver rings rusted and brown, no power or soul left in them.  _ Everdear is dead _ , Agatha sobbed,  _ she's dead _ . Then she left for her mother, leaving everything behind, and didn't come back.

_ I should've came back _ , Agatha thought bitterly,  _ at least before Sophie was killed. Then maybe I could've prevented all of this from happening _ . But then she remembered her lack of powers, an empty void like a missing arm, and remembered why she didn't come back. The same reason she knew she wouldn't confess her real identity to Tedros when she resurfaced from his memories: because without her powers, she wasn't Everdear. 

The year they began to fall in love was centered around them being partners and equals. Without her powers, she didn't know what type of relationship they would have — not to mention, she was wearing a mask the entire time. Because her looks weren't into the picture, Tedros fell in love with her sharp personality and wit. But her old insecurities of her looks slithered into her mind, further resolving her will to not confess to Tedros.  _ And besides _ , Agatha looked at Tedros' handsome face,  _ he has the privilege of having other options _ .

Tedros replied,  _ Maybe not today _ to Sophie's question of lunch with her, Anadil, and Dot. It seemed like Sophie wasn’t the only friend he had during the year she was gone. Agatha spied another contact,  _ BFF Dot _ , before he clicked on Sophie’s text. 

He continued to text:  _ Imma rent a cabin across the lake to chill for another day. Lunch tmw? _

Agatha leaned closer, her eyes wide. Her arm passed through Tedros' chest.  _ He won’t be in the city at all today? _

**Sophie H(e)art** :  _ alright then teddy but ur paying _

Tedros rolled his eyes and texted back:  _ Ofc I'm always the one that pays smh _

**Sophie H(e)art** :  _ shush ur literally the heir to a corp darling  _

**Sophie H(e)art** :  _ also did u see leviathan's outfit the other day? a cultural reset _

Tedros gritted his teeth in anger and started to text like he was punching his phone.  _ I don't CARE about that devil and her outfits Sophie she's FUCKING TERRIBLE.  _ He shot another text:  _ i don't want to hear anthying abt her _

Sophie took a while to respond back.

**Sophie H(e)art** :  _ **anything _

**Sophie H(e)art** :  _ but at least look at the shirtless male models anadil sent u for bloodbrook couture's upcoming fashion show _

Agatha noticed that Tedros started to blush.  _ Why does she keep sending me these things? _

**Sophie H(e)art** :  _ darling............. dear teddy.......,,,, _

**Sophie H(e)art** :  _ i know ur energy prefers to go towards ur muscles but let it stream towards ur brain every once in a while for u to experience common sense and self-awareness _

Tedros pouted. Paused. And then:  _ Fine I'll look at them and tell her which ones should stay or go _

**Sophie H(e)art** :  _ wonderful and do make sure to keep the one with the neck tat bc dot's whining and she isn't giving me her usual bout of compliments so _

**Sophie H(e)art** :  _ see u tmw! _

Tedros texted his goodbye, stood up, and stretched. He seemed lighter, his expression more open after talking to his friend. Agatha always suspected that Tedros and Sophie would be good friends and was happy to see it in action. She was also sad that she wasn't there to see it. 

Agatha didn't move, her neck craning as she watched Tedros watch the statue. He finally moved. When he walked close enough to touch the memorial, Everdear's feet at level with Tedros' neck, he jumped up on the wide block of marble that hosted Everdear's statue. 

They were nose to nose.

Tedros pressed a kiss to two fingers. Agatha knew what he was going to do. He didn't put it to Everdear's mouth, but instead, he gently placed them on Everdear's chest, right at her heart, just like the way they used to do after a battle or a kiss or whenever they felt like it. As much as they used to banter, physical affirmations were a comfort to both of them. This gesture told them without any words,  _ I love you. You have my heart. My heart is yours. I love you _ . 

All of a sudden, Agatha wanted to cry, a lump building in her throat. 

Tedros leaned his forehead against the cool marble of Everdear's for a second, and then leaped back down, and headed towards the path around the lake that led to the cabins. He looked like he needed a nap, as if visiting the memorial took all of his energy. Tedros put his hands in his pockets, shot the statue a final glance, and walked away.

Agatha watched him go, her question answered. 

Tedros didn't kill Sophie. 

_ Thank goodness.  _ Agatha sighed and closed her eyes. That raised more questions, but for now, she was soaking in the fact that Tedros didn't kill Sophie.  _ He didn't do it _ . 

She felt herself coming back to her body, a hook in her ribs, yanking her back to reality. 

×

Agatha opened her eyes. 

She was back in Sophie's apartment, body heavy and sword still clasped in her hand. She was only gone for a few moments. Rain was starting to patter against the windows. Tedros was staring at her, eyes full of worry about what she'd seen in his memories — and hope that she saw he was innocent.

_ Tedros didn't kill Sophie _ . 

Her heart pounded. They stared at each other, tension filling up the space between them —

She lowered the sword, flipped it, and held it up to Tedros so he could easily grab it by the hilt. He quickly grabbed it, so the pointy end wasn't aimed at Agatha anymore and sheathed it. 

Agatha studied Tedros. He studied her back. Tedros tilted his head, his brows furrowing. 

Agatha's heart pounded even faster.  _ Don't _ — She blurted out, "I know you didn't kill Leviathan."

Tedros blinked and let out a sigh of relief. His earnest blue eyes searched hers. "You do? The city seems to think the opposite."

"Yes." Agatha continued to stare at him until her heart couldn't handle it anymore. She looked at the walls instead. "But we  _ need _ to talk — "

Tedros was clearly happy, trying to stop the bouncing of his feet. Abruptly, he hugged Agatha, but let her go in the same moment, stepping back and apologizing, "Sorry — it's just that I didn't think anybody would believe me. I'm just — " he shook his head and stared at her, an excited smile gracing his face — "I'm just glad someone finally  _ does _ ." He continued to stare at her, his expression slowly becoming questioning...

Agatha had to remind herself to breathe.  _ Get ahold of yourself _ . "Oh — yeah, of course." She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to let out her usual barrage of questions, but then noticed the bags under his eyes and the rumpled, stained outfit he had on. Even despite Agatha's skill of reading people, it was obvious that Tedros looked like he had been on the run; considering the supers of Endless City thought he broke a cardinal rule of their community, he probably was.

Her questions died in her throat. "You should get some sleep," she softly suggested.

But Tedros was still staring at her with confusion. "I'm sorry, it's just — you seem so familiar. Have we met before —"

"My name is Agatha," she said, sticking out a hand for him to shake, "and no, we haven't."

"Tedros," he said, his hand automatically shaking hers, a habit trained into him. He looked slightly disappointed at her answer, but then stepped back and asked, "How do you know Sophie?"

Agatha's mind raced; he didn't know Sophie was Leviathan. "She's my best friend. How do you know Sophie? And why are you at her apartment?"

Tedros sat down — more like  _ fell _ — on the loveseat. "We became friends a year ago. She has some supers as her clients, including — " he cut off for a second and cleared his throat — "including, Everdear, and — well, she  _ had _ Everdear as her client, and she heard about us from the news and reached out to talk since Sophie was close friends with her. We became friends after that. And I'm at Sophie's apartment because one of her clients was  _ also _ Leviathan —" his jaw clenched — "and I was looking for the snakeskin cape, so I can tell the city that  _ I _ didn't kill her, but it's not here." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Must be stashed somewhere else."

Agatha tensed. "Are you sure?" She began to search the apartment. 

Tedros opened an eye. "I'm sure," he closed his eyes and settled further into his seat, getting comfortable, "but you can check again just to be sure." He yawned the last bit.

She checked the hallway closet, the laundry room, then Sophie's bedroom and closet; she even checked the kitchen cabinets and other unlikely places just to be sure. Agatha stopped in the middle of Sophie's luxurious bedroom, her four-poster, king-sized bed imposing. _ It’s not here. _ Disappointment sunk into Agatha's chest. But had she really expected it to be that easy? She stopped when she realized she was biting her nails, and walked back down the hallway to ask Tedros more questions. 

But when she got to the living room, he was already asleep, his mouth slightly open to let out soft snores and a bit of drool.

Agatha stopped in her tracks. She stared at him for a moment. Then she went back to Sophie’s room, grabbed a blanket, and crept towards Tedros, gently settling it over him.

She checked to see if the front door and windows were locked, and when Agatha was satisfied, she went to Sophie’s bedroom to take a well-needed nap.

  
  
  
  
  



	9. partners

**07\. partners**

**"** **_H_ ** **OLD ON," TEDROS** spluttered, holding up greasy hands. The morning light shone on his blonde hair, turning it into gold. He sat up straighter in his chair, even though his back ached from sleeping in a sitting position. "So let me just — let me take this in." 

He was sitting across from Agatha at Sophie's small dining table, eating the breakfast that Agatha had ordered. Sophie's kitchen only had cucumbers. Agatha was irritated, but not surprised; Sophie’s extensive beauty routines had largely involved cucumbers. She also knew that Sophie never did much cooking, because the idea of chipping a nail to Sophie was so  _ bothersome _ that she wouldn't hesitate to vandalize a small neighborhood in spite. 

Tedros had looked bewildered — and slightly sickened — at how a kitchen could only contain a vegetable. So they decided on breakfast burritos.

Agatha was hunched over the table, stuffing half of one into her mouth. It was lathered in hot sauce — a habit she picked up from her days of dating Hester. She raised an eyebrow to Tedros' statement, and waved a hand to let him continue.

"So," Tedros started, wiping his hands and the corner of his mouth with a napkin, "you're that Detective that sent that intolerable, sad sack of raging shit named Aric to jail — " Agatha raised an eyebrow at his descriptive choice of words; Sophie must've rubbed off on him — "and you're searching for Leviathan's cape because you made a deal with the Underworld's crime boss?"

Agatha chewed and swallowed down her burrito. "Yes," she took a big bite and mumbled, "'Nd our bargain is none of 'yur business." Tedros subtly inched a napkin closer to her. 

He tilted his head; it seemed like he spent a lot of time with Dot too. "Okay, so we're both looking for the cape then."

Agatha finished her burrito, swiped her stained mouth off with her hand, wiped her greasy hand off with a napkin, and held up a finger to signal Tedros to wait while she chewed. Then she finally swallowed and said, "Let's make a deal." 

Tedros immediately nodded. "I accept."

Agatha shot him a dumbfounded look; Tedros always went with his heart, which was either good or bad depending on the situation. "I didn't say the terms yet. Don't say words like that without knowing the conditions —  _ especially _ in this city."

He looked chastened, and sat up straighter. "Right, sorry. What are the terms?"

She leaned closer — then back a bit when her heart started to betray her by pumping faster. Tedros propped his elbows and put his chin in his hands, his gaze fixed on her face.

Agatha cleared her throat and said, "I'll help you find Leviathan's cape, so we can catch the real killer and clear your name. If  _ you _ say you're not the culprit, the whole city still won't believe you because of the footage that was released yesterday. Which brings us to the  _ other _ problem of how that footage was even made; maybe the real killer has illusion powers? Or something else? Who knows, but we'll know once we find the cape." She was unconsciously leaning closer and motioning wildly with her hands. "And once we do, I'll use my credibility to announce that you aren't the real killer  _ once _ we find the real one, because if I just  _ say _ you aren't the one who killed Leviathan now, nobody would listen. But if we catch the real criminal, which I'll need  _ your _ help doing, then people will start paying attention and realize you're innocent." 

Tedros nodded along. Then continued to nod, taking in a few more moments to let it settle into his mind.  _ No wonder him and Dot must be best friends _ , Agatha mused,  _ they have joint custody over the same brain cells _ . 

The words left her mouth before she could stop herself. "How do you feel about your friends believing you killed Leviathan?"

His head snapped up, his face shocked and then settling into deep thought. "You must've seen who my friends are in that memory you saw, then? Well, uh, it feels... " His brows furrowed even further, transforming him into an adorable, emotionally-constipated puppy. "It sucks."

"Hmm." She waited. It was okay for people to take their time to sort out and find the correct words to voice their emotions; Callis said it took practice. And Agatha, though snarky at times, always had enough patience for Tedros.  _ Well _ , Agatha thought to herself,  _ maybe not  _ always _ , but definitely most of the time _ . 

"I'm sure Dot saw the footage and believed it," he considered, "she's gullible that way, believing information at first glance — and she knew how upset I was about Everdear. But knowing her, she's probably not  _ too _ upset by it. Dot's never really been the type to see the world in black and white, so she probably still considers me a friend. Which is good," he laughed, "since she's the only one who laughs at my puns." 

He met Agatha's eyes to continue. "I didn't go to her when I was framed because I didn't want some supervillains targeting her. And that applied to Anadil too, though not because she can't protect herself, but because she probably would've turned me away to save herself a headache — "

Tedros' eyes widened in realization, and Agatha sat up straight from the excited look on his face. "Anadil." He stood up and ran his hands through his hair. "Sophie mentioned that even though she was the one who designed and worked on Leviathan's cape, Anadil was the one who provided the special materials to withstand powerful attacks. So she might have a clue on where the cape could be!"

Agatha stood up too, her heart pounding in excitement with the prospect of a lead. "Okay, let's go to her." 

Tedros' face dropped in disappointment. "We can't — there's no way. She doesn't have a phone because she doesn't like to be bothered by people — she thinks that if anybody has something important to say to her, they'll say it to her face.  _ And _ she'd be too busy with the Gala." Agatha's face instinctively grimaced at the prospect of dancing; every big, fancy event had dancing.  _ No thanks _ , Agatha decided. 

He looked out the window, morning light seeping through. "Heard it's a masquerade theme this year," he murmured.

Agatha opened her mouth, but then she heard her phone ping from the kitchen counter. She walked over and picked it up to see a text from Nicola. 

**Nicola Pipp** :  _ I talked to Dot last night, and she thinks that Yara might know since she was part of Leviathan's fan club. She's also Sophie's coworker and performer friend, so Sophie might've told her something about the cape since you know how she likes to brag about her accomplishments.  _ She added several eye-rolling emojis.

**Nicola Pipp** :  _ Also, is Sophie OK? She normally eats breakfast at the pub at least once a week and she hasn't yet. _

Agatha's heart twisted with guilt as she texted back; she hated lying:  _ Sophie's fine - just busy with back to back performances at the theatre. And could you please ask Yara for me if she knows anything about Sophie potentially stashing things at the theatre? _

**Nicola Pipp** :  _ Oh, makes sense sjldfjs and Yara never answers her phone. That girl is harder to track down than Hester's sense of forgiveness, so  _

**Nicola Pipp** :  _ But! she always attends the Gala that's coming up, so you'll be sure to find her there. _

Agatha's mind raced. Anadil and Yara, two potential leads, would both be going to the Gala. Her jaw set with resolve. She thanked Nicola, and turned to face Tedros. He was already facing her, stance wide, as if he was ready to take on whatever came next.

"We're going to the Gala."

×

Yara's bare feet slapped against the hardwood floors as she made her way back to her dressing room. 

"Great show, ugly!" Willam said in a way only siblings could do —  _ I mean it, but don't think I care about you even though I do _ — as he passed by her backstage. 

"Shut up, Willy," Yara replied, but she smiled at him as she walked past. 

She passed Sophie's dressing room, and went into hers right next to it. Yara was part of the dance and makeup crew at the Tell Tale Theatre, so her room was full of makeup equipment and racks of clothes. She locked her door to change into her usual maxi dress and tatami sandals; she was ready to go home to Chaddick and Nicholas. Millicent, her red-headed comrade and lead set designer, always gave Yara a ride home since they were neighbors; she waited outside for Yara every night. On the way out, Yara picked a bouquet of lavenders out of the various ones gifted to her by the audience. 

The smell of them reminded her of Sophie, who she hadn't seen in a while. Yara paused by Sophie's door, worry creasing her brow. From her early-transitioning-days of practicing makeup and fashion with Sophie teaching her, she learned that Sophie wasn't the type to let her presence go unnoticed. Not for a second, not for an hour, and  _ definitely _ not for a few days.

With her lavenders in one hand, she knocked on Sophie's dressing room door — just in case she was in there — though Yara was doubtful. She asked Bogden earlier today, Sophie's self-proclaimed assistant and a member of the stage crew, if Sophie was in yet, and he said that he didn't know. He paused, fidgeting.  _ In fact, I haven't heard from her in 24 hours, which is... not like her at all. She normally screams at me to go get her costumes or buy her boba from Kiko-fi Boba and Poke, but... nothing _ . 

Yara knocked again, and when she didn't hear anything, she twisted the knob — unlocked, which was even stranger — and went in. 

Sophie's dressing room had well-maintained fur rugs, a crystal chandelier, and multiple mirrors placed strategically around the primrose pink walls — her favorite color. Her multiple clothes racks were color-coded and steamed. The room was dark, but the fish tank embedded into the wall gave off some light. Yara didn't hesitate to step in, familiar with its surroundings as her own dressing room. Sophie wasn't easy to get along with — her frivolous and conceited air drove some people away — but Yara had Sophie eagerly educating her on femininity when she needed it, and during that time, Sophie had turned out to be a truly loyal friend when given the chance. 

Yara remembered all the times she was heckled by a bunch of boys that used her deadname on her way to work at Tell Tale Theatre. There was one point where Yara couldn't take it anymore, and broke down to Sophie about it. She was trying not to cry, to show that their words didn't hurt her, didn't  _ matter  _ because she didn't even know them — but Sophie straightened her spine. Not in shock, not in indignation, but in pure fury. Yara still remembered the gleam of her green eyes — she'd never seen them go so  _ cold _ . 

Sophie left right after she pushed Yara for their location. Yara never saw the boys again.

She walked around Sophie's dressing room, her eyes adjusted to the dark, looking for a hint if Sophie was here recently. Her glossy, cherry wood vanity was untouched as well as her mini fridge. Sophie always stashed strawberries in there in homage to her strawberry shaped birthmark on her ankle. Yara headed over to the clothes racks, all clothing bold and sleek. Her eyes paused on a garment that didn't fit in with the rest.

It was pure black and seemed to be textured with scales, which was fine. But that wasn't what caught Yara's attention. 

It was stained with blood.

Yara stiffened and hesitated to touch it; her hands became sweaty. One touch confirmed it for her — it was snakeskin.

With her hand still on it, Yara swore it rustled — as if it was waking up. She was going to take it off the rack when she heard footsteps from the hallway and Millicent's delicate voice. "Yara? Where are you?" She must've come in looking for Yara when she took too long.

Yara snatched her hand away and held it to her pounding heart. She slowly backed away, her eyes stuck on the garment but her mind racing.  _ Sophie's been gone....  _

As she retreated, her new perspective revealed it to be a cape.  _ A snakeskin cape _ . Yara's breathing became uneven.  _ Only one person in Endless City had this cape  _ —

"Yara?"

She flinched and spun to Millicent at the open door, worry creasing her face. "Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Yara took a steadying breath and laughed shakily. It echoed into the hallway. "I'm fine." She dropped her hand to hold Millicent's and drew her away from Sophie's dressing room. Yara snuck a panicked glance at Leviathan's —  _ Sophie's _ — snakeskin cape before she shut the door.

×

Sophie's eyes snapped open.

She felt more awake than she had in days, her body sore and her mind still recovering from the drugs. But it'd sharper than it's ever been, and her senses were enthusiastic to soak in her surroundings. 

She smelt the water first — its unique salt and wind flavor helping her wake up. Then she felt the ropes around her wrists along with the gentle rocking of the wooden floor and the panic begun to set in. She was on a ship. 

Sophie was lying on a plush, queen-sized bed, her wrists tied to the headboard. She was barefoot and still in Leviathan's bodysuit. The space was dark, but a quick glance around the lavish room told her there was nobody else here. Her bones ached from not moving in days, her body had recovering bruises from the fight, and she winced when she pulled her arm muscle in her efforts to free herself. 

Adrenaline pumped through Sophie's veins, focusing her mind.  _ I need to get out of here _ , she urged,  _ before he comes back _ . Thoughts of a copper-brown haired man filtered through her mind, associated with thoughts of being drugged. He always came at a specific time to inject some sort of sedative into her, lulling her back to unconsciousness. Her fear spiked at being drugged and helpless again, and she hurriedly licked her dry lips as Sophie tried tugging at her restraints again.

Her apprehension grew at every unsuccessful yank of her wrists, her breaths shortening with anxiety, until finally she slumped against the pillows, tears coating the corners of her eyes. Her mind was still trying to reorient itself, and the only thing her instincts instructed her to do was to  _ get out _ . She needed to think, to come up with a plan.

Sophie took several deep breaths to calm down. She knew she couldn't afford to waste any time. As she did whenever she was always in trouble, she asked herself:  _ What would Aggie do? _

Still breathing heavily, she looked around the room to search for an answer. Upon closer inspection of the bedroom's polished, modern design, Sophie realized that she wasn't just on a ship.

_ I'm on a yacht _ , Sophie thought. And even though the vessel was swaying back and forth, it wasn't actually moving, its engines dead.  _ That means it must be docked _ .

_ And _ , Sophie set her jaw with determination,  _ that means I can run _ . 

Invigorated with the thought, she pushed herself up against the headboard and focused on shimmying her hands from the rope. The left one didn't shake its hold, but the right one was giving way. She was focused on easing her hand from the rope's hold, aware that at any moment, the man could walk through the door and sedate her again. She would fight, if it came down to that, but she just wanted to get out. Unease crept up her body as each moment passed with her still restrained. 

Her right hand was almost free. 

Sophie bit on one of the strands to loosen the rope, her jaw aching from biting down so hard. The creaking of the ship sounded like somebody was coming.  _ Come on, come on _ . 

Her right hand slipped free. 

Sophie could've cried from relief. But she immediately focused on freeing her left hand, her heartbeat frantic and palms sweaty.  _ He could walk through the door at any moment _ . Sophie didn't want to be here when he did, her self-preservation hurrying her actions. It was easier this time with one hand helping, and she hastily freed her left hand, and hopped off the bed —

She collapsed to the floor. Her legs were weak and stiff. Her chest was heaving against the soft carpet of the cabin. 

_ Get up, get up _ . Sophie pushed her aching wrists against the floor to push herself up. She could hear her thundering heartbeat in her ears; she was scared that the sound would hide the sound of footsteps in the hallway. She took another breath as some pieces of her memory returned.

Sophie knew three things. 

_ Her cape needed to stay hidden _ . 

She heaved herself up to her knees, lightheaded from hunger and thirst. Then, she planted a hand on the bed to stand on shaky knees, forcing herself to stand tall.

_ The copper-haired man was Rude Awakening, whose real identity was Rhian Ruiz _ . 

She stumbled to the door. Unlocked. Her walking got better as she crept through the luxurious hallways, but the gentle rocking of the ship paired with her shaky legs made her fall a couple of times. She spied the night sky and dark waters through the windows. It was eerily quiet to the point where there was nobody else on the yacht. That should've relaxed Sophie, but she wouldn't let her guard down until she was safe — she wasn't stupid.

Sophie passed by a closet that contained blue suits, and hastened to put one over her bodysuit so she wouldn't be recognizable once she reached a busier area. She stole a pair of socks and loafers too. Then she quickened her pace so she could finally get off this grand —  _ but still nightmarish _ , Sophie reminded herself — yacht. During the summer, she used to attend Ravan's parties on his black-coated yacht, so she easily navigated her way to the exit. 

Sophie ran when she hit the docks and headed to the streets. It was the dead of night. She sped through the shadows — for once, feeling like she didn't want to be noticed. 

She knew she was at the East Side of Endless City the second she heard water lapping against the yacht. This side of the metropolis contained two things: Wish Fish Lake, famous for its bioluminescent fish, and being a go-to couples' spot where they could row onto the lake and confess their love for one another. But as Sophie turned away from the lake, she headed towards the second thing the East side boasted: the Flowerground Express.

The Express was different from the Metro in the sense that the main mode of transportation wasn't a subway — it was a train. And while the Metro took a city dweller anywhere they wanted in the city, the Express was a way  _ out _ . And Sophie needed to get out of the city because she knew three things: 

_ Her cape needed to stay hidden _ . 

_ The copper-haired man was Rude Awakening, whose real identity was Rhian Ruiz _ . 

_ She needed Agatha _ . 

Sophie's heart clenched.  _ My best friend. My sister. My lifeline _ . She had to go to Agatha — together, they could take Rhian down. Together, they could do anything.

She reached the ivy-covered, brick building with the neon lettering at the top, proudly proclaiming it the Flowerground Express. There were only a few night people around. Sophie headed inside the station, knowing that at this time of the night, nobody really cared if you had a ticket or not; they wouldn't bother to check as long as you kept quiet. 

Her loafers clacked against the limestone floor as she walked in, chest still heaving and muscles sore from running. Sophie tugged her suit coat tighter around her as she scanned the arrival and departure times on the screen above her. There was a train leaving in three minutes, and Sophie boarded early to snatch a private compartment to herself — it took a day to get out of the city, and she absolutely  _ refused _ the possibility of spending that much time with somebody she didn't know and who would most likely be less attractive than her. 

When she stepped onto the train, the conductor was slumped against the wall, softly snoring,  _ Manley _ labeled on his name-tag. Sophie crept past him and headed to the end of the train cars, where she knew she would get some peace. Lush velvet carpeting and the scent of honey endeared themselves to Sophie's senses as she passed one compartment after another. 

Sophie went inside the final compartment of the passenger car, locked the opaque-glass door, and sat down on the plush seating to stare out the window. She knew she just slept for days, but the type of exhaustion she felt went deeper than that. 

She leaned her head against the wall, closed her eyes, and let herself settle as she heard the train whistle blow and felt the train start to pick up speed.

Sophie headed for Gavaldon.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> end of part one! thank u for reading this far <3


	10. partie deux

[ _ a _ ct  _ t _ wo ]

_ "You see, it doesn't matter what we are, Sophie." _

_ Lady Lesso leaned so close she just had to whisper. _

_ "It's what we _ do _." _

—  **Soman Chainani,** **_The School for Good and Evil_ **

  
  
  
  
  



	11. safehouse

**08\. safehouse**

**_G_ ** **AVALDON WAS SILENT** when Sophie arrived.

It was a 10 minute walk from Gavaldon's train station to Graves Hills, a walk that Sophie spent trying  _ not _ to think. But despite her best efforts, flashes of memory snuck in like a knife, stealing her breath and feeding the pit of ire and determination in her stomach that kept her going this long. 

Her loafers dragged against the gravel road. She tugged the suit jacket tighter around her as a sharp wind whistled through the night. Sophie left Endless City at night, but because it took a day to reach the small town, it was dark and desolate when she arrived. 

Her stomach grumbled in protest — it had been hours since she last ate on the train. Sophie hushed at it and kept walking.  _ Callis and Agatha are nocturnal creatures _ , Sophie reassured herself,  _ they always eat lunch around this time _ . 

As if the thought of the two signaled her destination, the familiar black house appeared in Sophie's line of vision, sitting upon a small graveyard hill, imposing its judgment below. She let out a sigh of relief —  _ finally _ , she could change out of these crusty clothes — and lumbered on until she reached the front porch.

The creak of the wooden steps added to the eerie atmosphere that constantly surrounded the infamous house on Graves Hill. But that never deterred Sophie and, like her first time introducing herself, she knocked on the door three times and waited. She used to prepare herself for a fight every time, but over the years, Sophie became as much of a sister to Agatha as Agatha was to her. But even as surprised Sophie was at their lasting friendship, she was even more surprised at how often she suspected Callis adopting her. 

Muffled footsteps creaked the floorboards inside the house until it reached the door. It swung open with surprise as Callis blinked and squinted at Sophie, who in return, smiled and hugged Callis. 

_ Herbs. _ Sophie closed her eyes for a moment in brief exhaustion and relief, taking in the scent of home. Then she stepped back, with Callis' arms frozen in the air around Sophie, unsure of what to do, still taking in Sophie's state with worried eyes. 

"Where's Aggie?" Sophie leaned forwards, searching behind Callis. She couldn't wait to see her best friend — it had been an entire  _ year _ since they've seen each other. Sophie was going to tackle and mildly maim Agatha with the force of her love —

Callis gently put a hand on Sophie's back, leading her inside. "Let's sit down and talk."

×

Sophie was fucking furious. 

She came all this way for Agatha, only for her to be in Endless City all this time?  _ What the fuck, Agatha.  _ She could’ve at least sent a message. (Sophie had lost her phone, and was presumed dead, but  _ still. _ ) She gripped the mug in her grasp tighter, close to breaking it. Sophie was going to tackle and  _ severely _ maim Agatha with the force of her indignation. 

Callis and Sophie sat across each other at the wooden dinner table. A plate now empty of sandwiches was off to the side, and the steam from each mug evaporated into the shadows, unlike Sophie's frustration, which grew with each passing moment that Agatha didn't jump out of nowhere and say,  _ Surprise bitch! You really thought! _

Sophie let out a long suffering sigh. Callis sipped her tea. 

The house was small but cozy, well-worn from love. The dinner table was more of an  _ everything  _ table, where Callis did her tarot card readings and Agatha practiced her poor painting skills. Because only Callis and Agatha lived here — with Sophie occasionally sleeping over for weeks at a time — they mainly ate at the kitchen counter or outside on the small patio. It was weird to Sophie how they were currently using the dinner table with a serious purpose, but everything was weird lately, so Sophie didn't exactly know why her mind was hung up on this fact. 

"You need to go back."

Sophie's eyes came to rest on Callis, who looked just as exhausted as Sophie, but more emotionally than physically. The bags under her eyes made Sophie glad she immediately changed and did her skin care routine before sitting down. Callis leaned forward and said, "I'm glad you're alive, Sophie — you have no idea how distraught we were, especially Agatha — and I hate to push you back towards the city, but she needs your help."

Sophie's forehead furrowed — then cleared when she remembered that she didn't want any worry lines. "Why does Agatha need my help? I came here for hers. Oh — wait, is it because her acne is acting up again? It's normal, but I think I sent her my recipe to help out a while ago." She scratched her arm. "I think I did — either that,  _ or _ I just told her to start sleeping more instead of her usual 4 hours. Reaper's breath can help knock her out."

Callis closed her eyes for a brief moment. Sophie sipped her tea. 

"No, Sophie," Callis shook her head and leaned forward to hold Sophie's hands. Sophie tried very hard not to count the other woman's worry lines. "You don't understand — the news that Leviathan was killed was so widespread that it even reached  _ here _ , in Gavaldon. Agatha cried so hard she passed out. I tried making soup yesterday with a cucumber, and I'm pretty sure it isn't soup anymore — just my tears and cucumber." 

Sophie pulled a disgusted face, but Callis gripped her hands tighter. "Agatha wants to avenge you, but now that you're here, you've got to find her because I'm not sure the enemy she's looking for will go down so easily — if at all, since they happened to take  _ you _ down." Sophie thought of Rhian and only just stopped herself from flinching. "So, after some rest, since the next train leaves in a few hours, you have to find her and protect her."

Sophie's eyes narrowed. Her instincts prodded her and whispered,  _ Callis knows something _ . "What do you mean 'protect' her?  _ I'm _ the one who got kidnapped and whose death was faked. I just need Agatha's help in taking him down because he'll be looking for me. Sure, because she'll be at my side fighting him, she'll need some protecting, but he's after  _ me _ , not her. She doesn't even have her powers anymore — "

"How do you think she lost them in the first place?"

Sophie stopped breathing. 

Callis leaned back and rubbed her forehead while Sophie croaked out, "Somebody...  _ stole _ them from Agatha? I didn't know somebody could do that." Horror flooded Sophie's system, leaving her hands numb and head pounding.  _ He wanted my powers.  _ Rhian Ruiz appeared at the same time Agatha left the city, a rising Nemesis to Tedros' Lionspride, who was still weak with grief.  _ Maybe he... used a wish to get his own powers? Doesn’t Agatha’s powers have limits? But  _ could  _ you wish for powers? And even if you could _ , Sophie thought, chills snaking up and down her body,  _ how did he steal her powers in the first place? What did he do with them? _

Callis slowly stopped rubbing her forehead, coming to a decision. She took a deep breath and studied Sophie's face intently. Finally, she asked, "What do you know of Agatha's father?"

Sophie stopped breathing again. Growing up with Agatha, the topic was never approached, let alone talked about; it felt taboo without having Agatha around. Sophie had no idea why Callis was bringing it up now. Then she wheezed out; "You've  _ got _ to stop dropping these bombs on me without any warning — I'll pass out at this point."

Callis continued on. "I don't talk much about him, but for a good reason." She let out a deep, shaky breath. Met Sophie's eyes with her serious, gentle gaze, her voice almost a whisper — a confession. "He's Soothsayer."

Sophie almost blacked out, hands white from grasping the edge of the table. Soothsayer was basically a god to those who have heard of him — besides being the weapons-maker and ruling over the city with a benevolent hand, nothing else was known about him. He was an enigma, a figure who believed that the less that was known about him, the better. Sophie's head whirled with the information, pounding harder with adrenaline. Then her head snapped up in realization. "No wonder Agatha's a Tier 5 — she got it from him."

Callis nodded and said, "I think you should go to him, to ask whether or not stealing powers is a definite possibility, and if so, how it could possibly be returned to its rightful owner." She wrung her hands, wrinkly from cooking and gardening. "I know he doesn't allow anybody to ask him any questions, especially about the future, since he'll age up 10 years if he answers, but if anybody knows the methodology of how powers work, it would be him."

Sophie slightly shook her head. "He wouldn't even  _ hear  _ of me wanting to talk with him, let alone actually having a chat because his guards would drive me away immediately." Then she paused, an incredulous look taking over her face. "Wait, why aren't you  _ with  _ him? He's basically the King of the city — you could be its  _ Queen _ . Why wouldn't you want to be the Queen? You'd have everything at your fingertips." Sophie landed a judgmental look upon Callis, who rolled her eyes. 

"I don't want to be the Endless City's Queen," Callis stood up and started cleaning up to have something to do. "I fell in love with his kind heart, but because of his powers, he has responsibilities that he needs to attend to for the betterment of our society, which require being in the city." She began to walk over to the kitchen, carrying the plate and mugs. "But we both agreed that I had the more important responsibility: raising Agatha. He would be looking after countless lives and keeping the city under control while I kept our heart safe and educated."

Sophie followed her into the kitchen, hooked onto the love story that she'd been curious and suspicious about since she and Agatha were kids. It was exhilarating to finally know. "What's his name? Does Agatha know?"

Callis put the dishes in the sink  _ She was a practical person _ , Sophie supposed, but — 

"Why would you give up power and love?"

The older woman froze, her back tense. Then she turned to face Sophie, a hint of anger in the lock of her jaw and the corners of her lips. "I didn't give up anything, Sophie. I never wanted power — a few moments in that city, and you rot from all the status and peacocking. And I got all the love I needed from Agatha." She leaned against the sink. "And to answer your other questions,  _ no _ , I won't tell you his name until I tell Agatha first, and  _ no _ , Agatha doesn't know." 

Callis rubbed her forehead again. "No one else knew, until now. It was safer for the both of us to be separated." But even as she said it, she looked forlorn, trying but failing to hide how much she missed him.

_ Callis and Soothsayer are in love. They had Agatha _ . Sophie took the information in, rolling it around in her head until her mind began to get used to the idea of Agatha being the daughter of the most powerful man in the city. Then she blurted out, "How soon can you adopt me?"

Callis blinked, then laughed. She walked closer to Sophie and gently brushed a stray hair from her face. Like a mother would. Sophie felt a strange lump grow in her throat. 

"When you go to see Soothsayer, tell the guards I sent you. They'll let you pass." She kissed Sophie's forehead and began to walk out of the kitchen. "Your room's untouched. Get some rest, Sophie. Endless City is going to need more time to prepare itself for when you return."

Sophie stood in the silent kitchen for a couple more seconds, indistinctly feeling fragile — as if one touch could make her shatter — but then shook herself out of her stupor. She left to her cucumber and strawberry infused room — and for the first time in days, Sophie felt content and safe.

  
  
  



	12. terrible, isn't it?

**09\. terrible, isn't it?**

**_A_ ** **GATHA AND TEDROS** couldn't stay in Sophie's apartment forever.

They also needed the appropriate, luxurious attire to get into the Gala, but Tedros couldn't go to Camelot Co. because enemies would be lurking, waiting to pounce and off his head to keep as a trophy. Even after spending more than half her life with Sophie, Agatha still didn’t know anything about dressmaking. But she and Tedros knew somebody who did. 

"Anadil doesn't live far from here — her penthouse is at Thicket Tumble Suites," Agatha suggests, pacing back and forth. "You could fly us right now, under the cover of night, to her place without anyone suspecting otherwise. And if she's there, she could tell us if she knows where Leviathan's cape is, _and_ she could supply us with Gala outfits. Two birds with one stone." 

Tedros, sitting on the counter to be eye-level with Agatha, pointed out, "But her roommate is Ravan, and he's one of the outspoken supervillains that want to kill me."

Agatha swung to face him, her heavy brows furrowed. "If Anadil is your friend, then won't she protect you?"

Tedros stopped swinging his legs. "Uh, if Ravan tries to attack me — which he _will_ — then Anadil would most likely sit back and watch for entertainment. I call her my friend since we’ve known each other for a year, but to her, 'friends' is pushing it — even though I gave Anadil's fashion line some _much needed_ clout when I wore it for weeks straight." He frowned in thought. "And did the same for Ravan's." His frown deepened. 

"Well, can't you protect yourself? Aren't you one of the most significant superheroes in this city?"

Tedros snapped out of his stupor and gave a cheeky grin to Agatha. "Think I'm important?"

Agatha tried not to roll her eyes but failed. _His fucking ego_.

She thought he would stop there, but he leaped off the counter to stand closer to Agatha. "Blink if you think I'm the hottest _and_ most powerfulest superhero in this city." 

Agatha opened her mouth to say, _Powerfulest isn't a word, dumbass_ , but then he stepped closer into her personal space, and she forgot how to breathe. _So warm._ Her heart beat faster, synchronized with her mind chanting _closer closer closer_ —

Tedros blew into her eyes, and she accidentally blinked. Tedros cheered. 

Agatha glared at him, an involuntary smile tugging at her lips. "That's cheating."

He shrugged and grinned even harder. "Still counts to me." _Such a little shit_.

She shook her head and walked away from him, trying but failing to control her pounding heartbeat. "You could take Ravan on. Not saying you _should_ , just saying that you could defend yourself if need be."

Tedros nodded. "You're right, I could — now that I've got your vote of confidence of being the _hottest_ and _most powerfulest_ superhero — "

"That's not a _word_ , Tedros — "

"What? ' _Hottest'_?"

"Oh, yes, because ' _hottest_ ' isn't a word — _no_ , I'm talking about ' _powerfulest_ ', genius — "

But Tedros was laughing too hard at the look on her face, falling to the floor in hysterics. 

×

"Alright, come here."

"Uh, what?"

Tedros waved her over, waiting by the balcony in Sophie's bedroom, which revealed the familiar sight of the night sky and city lights. "Let's go to Anadil's place." He indicated his arms to her, opening them wide.

Agatha stiffened. "I was actually thinking of being on your back while you were flying."

"Nah, I can't fly very well like that, especially with our height difference — it's better if I carry you in my arms."

"But — "

He shook his head. "Agatha, _come on_ — "

"Tedros — "

"If you don't wanna be carried bridal-style, then it has to be a front piggyback." He raised an eyebrow, waiting for her answer. His sword gleamed at his side.

Agatha could feel a blush coming — and _strong_ . Both options were mortifying. _But_ , Agatha mused, _bridal-style was the lesser of two evils_. A front piggyback would be worse because just the thought of clinging to Tedros, her body flush against his, was enough for Agatha to malfunction —

She shook off her dirty thoughts. _Okay, whatever, we have a mission_. 

"Bridal-style," she muttered. Her cheeks were warm as she headed over to Tedros, avoiding his gaze, but she could still feel his arrogant grin resting on her. When she put her arms around his neck, she was half-tempted to smack the grin off his face. He lifted her in his arms, clutching her waist snugly and snickering at how stiff she was. 

Agatha glared at him. Tedros muffled a laugh. Then they flew off into the night. 

×

Tedros loved flying during the day, but the night still had its perks. 

Like hiding his blush.

There was a weird feeling in his stomach, something he couldn't quite pin down. He didn't understand many things, but this bothered him more than usual. So, he decided to distract himself by talking to Agatha, hoping it would ease the feeling.

"I kinda wished you picked front piggyback."

The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to die. _Why did I say that?_

Agatha glared at him even harder, still stiff in his arms, ready to jump out of them the moment they reached their destination. The way she glared at him made the weird feeling in his stomach increase, making his heart beat faster and his palms sweaty.

They were almost at Anadil and Ravan's place, quickly approaching the copper and steel building. Thicket Tumble Suites was located at the border of Central and the West Side, perfectly symbolizing the extravagance of Central combined with the _don’t give a shit_ vibes of the West. Thicket Tumble Suites was one branch off Rakshasa Hotel and Resorts. It was mainly focused on extravagance, its distinct metallic exterior proclaiming, _Do not even think of entering this establishment if you can’t name 5 luxury brands_ — _and the_ right _ones_. Something its iconic and sarcastic CEO, Ravan, has promulgated whenever he appeared frowning on the news.

Agatha shifted, trying to get more comfortable. And for some reason, Tedros’ heart beat faster.

She frowned at him, noticing the change of heartbeat. 

But then it hit him why.

 _Oh_ . Tedros' hands unconsciously gripped Agatha tighter, a sense of déjà vu washing over him. _She just... fits here. In my arms_.

His head felt suddenly light as it went down a route it rarely traveled. Hope made Tedros' arms tingle. Then, with rushed intensity, he studied Agatha, who was studying their surroundings. He thought, _What if_ —

Agatha suddenly sat up in his arms, smacking his shoulder. "We're here. Land quietly."

Tedros obeyed Agatha’s command, landing softly on one of the big balconies surrounding the penthouse. Agatha let out a sigh of relief when her feet touched the ground, having given up on making her heartbeat slow down minutes ago. 

She turned to Tedros and raised a finger to her lips, silently commanding him to tread softly. Tedors nodded and followed her as she crept towards the glass doors of the balcony, which were slightly open to let the night air in. 

The white drapes fluttered in the gentle wind, slightly obscuring Agatha’s vision as she leaned in, taking note of the penthouse’s surroundings. Ravan and Anadil were a fitting, but odd, pair — snarkiness roomed with cool detachment — which showed in their choice of furnishing: a slightly tilted painting there, rugs everywhere, two rocking chairs, a bowl of pears placed next to a psychology book. Knives stuck in the wall, different ribbons of fabrics hanging off each one. For two fashion heirs, there wasn’t much coordination and style. 

The fireplace was lit (even though it wasn’t winter), so Agatha knew that somebody was home. She just hoped it was Anadil. 

She turned her head to tell Tedros that they should wait a bit more, but he was staring intently at the bowl of pears, hunger in his gaze. It’s been an hour since they last ate. Before Agatha could stop him, he went into the room. 

“ _Tedros_ !” She hissed at him, anxiety pitching her tone. Agatha stayed outside, but took a step forward, wanting to yank Tedros’ collar and slap him. “What are you — Get _back_ here!” 

He snatched a pear from the bowl and bit into it. Turned towards Agatha with an apologetic but relieved look and started to hurriedly creep back towards her —

A bedroom door suddenly opened.

And Ravan walked through.

×

Ravan was having a shitty day, but what else was new?

First, the fashion show meeting with the idiots formally called his coworkers didn’t think the red suits Anadil designed were better than the black suits — as if they knew anything about fucking _taste_. They didn’t realize that black suits were for basic bitches, and Ravan did _not_ roll with that. He would normally pulverize them (he was an open supervillain), but that would be a legal headache afterwards, so killing his coworkers would just have to stay a fantasy. For now. 

Anyways, a red suit was edgy and alluring — and he was gonna have a talk with Anadil, even if she didn’t give a fuck. Also, it matched his eyes. 

Second, his boyfriend Hort tried to propose to him. Which wasn’t particularly bad except for the fact that he did it in the _middle of a staff meeting_ . (What the fuck, Hort, seriously dude, read the room). Of _course_ , Ravan would’ve said no — he didn’t want the memory of him saying yes to a lifelong marriage with the love of his life associated with work. Disgusting.

Which resulted in an argument with his boyfriend, followed by angsty sex. 

Ravan hummed. _That part wasn’t so shitty_. He slid his mulberry silk robe over his bare shoulders, slid a look at a sleeping Hort in his bed, and tied up his hair into a bun, slipping out of the bedroom —

And set foot into a situation that almost made him wish he stayed in bed, just so he wouldn’t have to deal with another headache. 

Tedros Pendragon, also known as Lionspride, but most recently and notoriously known as the killer of Leviathan, frozen on the spot, mouth full from one of his pears. Ravan loved those fucking pears — that’s why he left his partner on their warm bed to get one. And Tedros Pendragon just took one without even asking? 

_The fucking nerve_ , Ravan shook his head at the ceiling. _Absolutely no manners_. 

Then he exposed his fangs, sprouted two heads, and attacked Tedros.

×

Agatha thought Tedros stood a chance against Ravan, but she was wrong.

 _Oh my god_ , she stared at Ravan in mixed feelings of awe and horror, _he’s a 6’5 nightmare_ . Agatha looked at Tedros, in all his tiny glory. _Ravan’s gonna stomp him_. 

The multi-headed man swung his fist, plummeting Tedros to the wall. The paintings shook from the impact, tilting them further. The blonde landed on the ground with a hard thump.

Agatha sped inside, frantically looking for a weapon she could knock Ravan out with, while the tallest man she had ever seen stalked towards the mess of blonde curls lying on the floor. 

Tedros reached for his sword — 

Ravan seized his collar and yanked the blonde up to meet his vengeful face, making Tedros’ feet dangle off the ground. His six ruby eyes glared at the tiny white boy in his grasp while he stole Tedros’ weapon and struck it at the wall with the rest of the knives. A new decoration.

Ravan snarled, his harsh voice almost guttural with his overlapping, rumbling voices speaking with one mind. “You thought you could just kill Leviathan without any consequences? One of the greatest supervillains this city has _ever_ seen, and you thought you could just kill her for glory and petty revenge, even when she earned it by killing her Nemesis? I don’t care if you and Everdear were a thing — you don’t touch Nemesis business unless it’s _yours_.” 

He dug his claws further into Tedros. “And you think you can just come into my home and eat one of my pears, like I won’t hesitate to cut you?”

Tedros choked on the pear that was still in his mouth. He tried to yank himself out of Ravan’s tight grip, but Ravan’s claws dug in deeper, almost drawing blood.

Ravan’s heads surrounded Tedros — wrathful red eyes were the only thing Tedros could see. “You couldn’t have been more wrong in your entire _life_. And considering your track record of dumbass decisions — that’s saying a lot.” Then his nails began to cut into Tedros’ chest, drawing a groan and dark blood — 

“Hey.”

Ravan froze and turned one of his heads to whoever spoke. 

It wasn’t Agatha.

Stopping her mission to just smack Ravan on the head (heads?) with a lamp, Agatha stopped to look at the main entrance.

An elegant albino stood in the doorway, two figures flanking her. The white-haired woman was cold and brilliant — a diamond. Polished with sharp edges. 

Hester was leaning against the doorway, a pierced eyebrow raised at the spectacle. Dot was clutching Anadil’s relaxed arm, worried eyes constantly switching between Tedros and Ravan.

Anadil, Empress of Bloodbrook Couture, one of the leading fashion industries in Endless City, cocked her head. “What’s up, Tedros?”

Tedros swallowed the pear and choked out, “I am. Up against the wall, I mean.”

Ravan snarled, “Ani, get out.” 

Anadil did not get out. She walked in. 

Dot kept hold of Anadil’s arm, trailing after her, eyes on Tedros. Hester dropped off her girlfriend’s bags on the couch, which she plopped herself on, leaning back and preparing to watch Tedros get a beating. 

Anadil faced Ravan. Her raspy, deadpan voice said, “Let Tedros go.” Dot nodded her encouragement behind Anadil’s shoulder. The heiress spared a glance at the blonde and his growing bloodstain. “He’ll stain the rugs.” 

Ravan shot Anadil a look. “He killed Leviathan — “

“No, he didn’t.”

Ravan and Anadil turned to Agatha, who gently put the lamp down.

Ani’s face was characteristically unreadable while Ravan’s faces each made a different expression: confusion, irritation, and boredom. “Who are you? Is this your boyfriend?”

She opened her hands out. “I’m Agatha, but you may have heard of me as Detective S. I’m trying to deliver justice for Leviathan by finding and catching the real killer — which isn’t Tedros, no matter what the news claims.”

To Agatha’s relief, Tedros finally yanked himself out of Ravan’s grasp, stumbling to the floor. But Ravan stopped paying attention to him, eyes fixed on Agatha and head tilted in suspicion. 

Instinctively, Agatha felt like she was being studied by a predator and tensed up.

Behind Ravan, Agatha spotted Dot helping Tedros up. But her attention completely switched when Ravan stepped closer to her, his eerie red eyes studying every inch of her. Under his gaze and height, she felt like a bug. 

He pressed, “Why would a simple, poorly dressed detective care about the death of a notorious, fashionable supervillain?”

Agatha didn’t hesitate to say, “It’s personal.” Most people stopped there.

Ravan did stop — but physically. To her surprise, he reverted back to his singular head and said something that made her stomach drop. “You knew Leviathan’s real identity, then.” 

All eyes in the room went to her.

 _How did he — ?_ She shook her head. “No, I just — “

“The look on your face confirmed it,” Ravan sighed, adjusting his robe, “so don’t bother. I hate liars, especially bad ones. So you knew her?” He frowned and raised a brow.

Agatha’s instinct was to protect Sophie’s identity, which meant to deny knowing anything. Knowing a super’s identity was the highest level of trust. But looking at Ravan, who couldn’t be fooled, she just let out a small sigh and nodded. 

A rush of adrenaline suddenly swept through Agatha, to let go of that truth. It felt relieving, but it involuntarily came with the accompanying feeling of betraying Sophie, guilt darkening the rush. Whenever somebody knew a super’s real identity, they were pushed and prodded for information. People were always hungry for a secret. Ravan’s eyes lit up.

But he studied Agatha a moment more, noticing her discomfort, before snorting and shaking his head in disbelief. 

“Out of respect for Leviathan, I won’t attack you — with my fists or questions. And out of respect for you knowing Leviathan personally, I won’t attack him.” He pointed at Tedros behind him, who was leaning against Dot and still trying to process that Agatha knew Leviathan’s real identity. Agatha avoided his curious gaze.

But Ravan looked over his shoulder at Tedros with a threatening, slightly eager look. “But if you eat one of my pears again, gerbil, it’s hunting season.”

Tedros nodded hastily.

Like nothing happened, Ravan snatched a pear from the bowl, bit into it, grabbed his psychology book, and went back inside his bedroom. Before the door fully closed, Agatha heard Hort sleepily mumble, “Is Ani back?” and Ravan’s reply, surprisingly gentle: “Shh, go back to sleep.” 

The door snapped shut.

Agatha looked at Tedros, who was frowning and rubbing his chest. Dot turned to Anadil. 

“Do you have a first aid kit?” Dot’s voice was shaky with worry.

Hester rolled her eyes, looking slightly irritated that no actual bloodshed happened. “He’ll be fine.” She studied Tedros, who warily looked back. “Knew you didn’t kill Leviathan. Knew you didn’t have it in you, even if Dot did.”

Tedros looked at Dot with a slightly betrayed look on his face.

“Hey!” Dot defended herself. “Despite everybody’s belief that you wouldn’t do something drastic like kill Leviathan, you’re my best friend and I _know_ you. So, yeah, maybe I believed for a second that you tapped into your evil side and murdered Leviathan, but could you blame me? You loved Everdear more than anything. Love makes us do the extreme.”

Hester and Anadil shared a look that only longtime lovers could have.

(Agatha felt like dying.)

Anadil broke from Hester’s gaze to say to Dot, “The first aid kit is on my windowsill, next to my rats’ cage. Make sure his blood doesn’t get anywhere — it’s a bitch to clean off.”

Dot nodded and guided Tedros down the hallway to Anadil’s white bedroom. Agatha finally glanced at a retreating Tedros, who stared back at her with a weird look on his face. She turned towards Anadil with her burning question.

“Do you know where Leviathan’s cape is?”

Hester tossed some pillows away, so Anadil could sit down next to her. Anadil looked at Agatha. “No.” Anadil was always straightforward, to the point of brutal. No sugarcoating.

Agatha’s heart sank, but she wasn’t deterred. There was still the Gala and Yara.

She asked her second question, “Would you be willing to set me and Tedros up for the Gala? Another lead will be there, but we don’t have any fitting attire to get us in — ”

Anadil waved her question away. “Don’t even have to ask, Agatha.” Relief flooded Agatha. No matter how cutting Anadil was, she forgot how simple it was with her, which was a nice change of pace from people like Tedros and Sophie. Anadil hesitantly waved her to come closer. “Let’s talk.”

Agatha walked over and sat across from the couple, who never once made her feel like a third wheel, a sign of a mature relationship. Agatha wondered who would propose first.

Hester didn’t hesitate to say, “You know Leviathan’s real identity, huh? And you didn’t tell me shit? Even though you knew she was my favorite female supervillain in Endless City? We would’ve gotten along so well.”

Agatha’s brows furrowed and thought of that time Hester and Sophie fought for 6 months over who was the better friend to Agatha, resulting in regrettable tattoos for Sophie and a scarring haircut and wardrobe change for Hester. They only became sort-of friends again after Anadil had threatened them. 

Agatha made a non-committal sound. “I guess.”

Hester opened her mouth, but Anadil cut in, her calm voice inquisitive. “I’m more interested in how you’ve been this past year, Agatha. How’s your mother?”

Agatha couldn’t help a small smile. Getting Anadil interested in anything was a privilege. But before she could say anything, bursts of laughter echoed from Anadil’s room. Dot had a hearty laugh while Tedros boomed, unable to keep it in. Both had infectious laughter, making Agatha’s lips twitch, Hester’s eyes roll, and Anadil raise a pale brow.

Agatha opened her mouth to answer Anadil, but then all of them turned when Ravan opened his bedroom door, fully clothed, with Hort behind him, looking like he just woke up.

Hort looked shocked. “Agatha?” Then he smiled a cheeky grin. “How’ve you been?”

Hester snapped, “She was just about to answer. Go back to sleep.”

Ravan rolled his eyes and walked towards the wine cart. “Go back to _hell_.”

Anadil sighed while another bout of laughter echoed down the hall. Agatha couldn’t help but relax at the change of atmosphere. A shot of nostalgia and regret pierced her heart. _I’ve missed this_.

Hort plopped himself on one of the couches when his boyfriend handed him a glass of dessert wine. He thanked Ravan with a kiss. 

Anadil eyed the glass of wine. “I’ll take one.” 

Ravan’s rough voice dripped with sarcasm, “You want a kiss?”

Hort sipped his drink. “Who wouldn’t want a kiss from Ravan?”

Hester groaned. “Just answer the fucking question, Agatha.”

Agatha raised a brow. “I don’t want a kiss from Ravan.”

Hester looked ready to commit murder. Ravan cackled.

×

On the morning of the Gala, Agatha and Anadil were having breakfast on the patio.

“So, you really don’t know where Leviathan’s cape is?”

The morning sun shone down on the pastries and breakfast foods spread out on the white linen. Anadil was the first one up, the only morning person besides Tedros, who was too much of a lightweight from the wine to get up this morning. Agatha tried to get him to eat, but he didn’t even budge. Agatha only woke up because she smelt the food.

Anadil fed her rats fruit. “No. I only gave Sophie the materials to make it. I would say to ask Sophie, but I’m sure you asked your best friend already.” Agatha tried to hide the slight shaking of her hands by grabbing her utensils and bringing eggs and bacon to her plate.

Anadil wiped her hands on the t-shirt she was wearing — Hester’s. Then she started to eat, prompting Agatha to do the same. The only sounds were clinking silverware and munching to fill up the comfortable silence.

Agatha always enjoyed Anadil’s company because they both _thought_ — Hester was impulsive, Dot and Tedros were in the same boat, and Sophie was too self-absorbed in her own world. Nicola was thoughtful too, but still had Agatha’s impulsive tendencies. Anadil was the only one who took a step back and observed — the only one who led with her head instead of her heart, and Agatha admired that.

Tedros appeared in the doorway the same moment Anadil’s phone suddenly rang with an incoming facetime call. _Reena_ ’s name popped up.

Anadil stood up. “Gotta take this.” Agatha nodded at her, her mouth full of waffles. Tedros walked over to take Anadil’s seat. He sat down and wordlessly started stuffing his face.

Anadil answered the call with “ _Salam_ ”. On the screen, Reena’s beautiful brown skin and lilac, silk hijab appeared and replied, “ _Wa Alaikum_ ”. But before she disappeared inside, Agatha caught Anadil glancing between her and Tedros and raising a knowing brow.

Agatha tilted her head quizzically and looked at Tedros, who was stuffing his face with hash browns and potatoes. Then back at Anadil, who had a hint of a smirk on her face — which was a full-blown smug look by Ani’s standards — and finally went inside, dodging Ravan’s attempts to steal her phone to say hi to Reena, his self-proclaimed sister.

 _It’s too early in the morning to interpret that_ , Agatha thought and continued to eat breakfast with Tedros, who once again, tried to sneak her some napkins. She threw some at his face.

×

Besides Agatha and Tedros, the rest ventured off to get their orders from Kiko-fi Boba and Poke, a popular poke bowl and boba restaurant that was perfect for lunch. Which left them alone, the penthouse feeling bigger with less people.

Anadil and Ravan had last minute outfits commissioned for Agatha and Tedros, which Agatha was currently checking out in the small guest room. She requested no mask, just a hood, which was attached to the black and grey suit she wanted as well. She touched the velvet sleeve —

Tedros came out of the bathroom, resplendent in his golden suit. The designs were strangely similar to hers, the sun to Agatha’s moon. Agatha fought to keep her eyes off him.

“Oh,” Tedros said, studying Agatha’s outfit for the night. Then he flashed his dimples at her. “Looks like we’ll be a matching set.” He winked, but then a cloudy look flashed across his face, like he recalled a sore spot.

Worry curdled Agatha’s stomach. She suggested, “I could ask Anadil or Ravan to change my outfit if you feel uncomfortable matching — ”

“No, that’s not it.” He shook his head, then gave her a self-deprecating smile. “Just, uh — this sounds stupid, but whenever I see grey, I think of… ” 

Agatha felt strangely tender. She knew that expression on his face by now. “... Everdear?”

Tedros nodded. He tried to give her another smile, but it was pained and sad.

She hesitated, but haltingly asked him, “Did you… ever know her true identity?” She didn’t mean to, but her voice came out almost fragile, as if it was close to breaking.

He shook his head and quietly said, “No.” Then he met her eyes.

Agatha felt his wish enter her soul and mind. _I wish_ _I could’ve revealed my identity sooner, so Everdear would do the same, and we could make a life outside of the super world. Just the two of us, at least for a little while_.

Agatha lost her breath. She didn’t know whether to run towards him or away. She gripped her hands behind her back.

Tedros leaned against the wall, his brows furrowed in frustration and shoulders slack with something like defeat. He stared off in thought until he confessed, “I don’t think I’ll ever love anyone as much as I loved her.” Pain suddenly contorted his face, as if he couldn’t hold it back in anymore.

Her hands grew so numb that Agatha was sure she cut off her own blood circulation. Then she briefly, insanely wondered if she should just tell him —

“Have you ever loved someone?”

Agatha’s head snapped up to meet Tedros’ ocean eyes. Nodded slowly and took in the honest features of his face before softly saying, “Yes.”

Tedros smiled sympathetically. “Terrible, isn’t it?”

Agatha knew she should say something — anything — but she couldn’t help but just stare at him and numbly nod. Tedros nodded back and leaned his head back against the wall, briefly closing his eyes. He didn’t look like a man who was ready to take on the upcoming night right then — he looked like a man who was still picking up the pieces of his broken heart, trying to heal, but knowing it won’t ever be the same.

And then, like a stroke of lightning, she made a sudden decision.

She took a step forward and breathed deeply, gathering the courage to say what she should’ve said a year ago. 

Here was the truth: Agatha really missed him. More than she thought possible. During her healing year away from the city, she would find something funny and turn to her side, expecting him to be there, but always felt empty afterwards, when she realized — he wasn’t there. Then that emptiness turned to guilt when she remembered that he probably did the same thing, except he thought she was dead. They both loved one another, so what was she doing, not taking his love that he only held in reserve for her to take? _Why do I keep self-sabotaging?_

_Just tell him_ , she told herself, _it’s okay if he rejects me. It’ll be okay. But just tell him. He deserves to know._

But because her mind didn’t ever stop, she remembered the situation that brought them together in the first place. _But what about_ _our mission to find the real killer? Would it make things awkward between us if he turns me down? That would inhibit the mission._ Agatha fought back a wince. _Tedros’ reputation and life matters more than a believed-dead lover he’d probably get over in a few more months_. 

She took a step back. _His well being comes first_.

Tedros opened his eyes suddenly, “Can I tell you something?”

Agatha nodded, trying to smile encouragingly for him —

But quickly dropped it when his next words rocked her world.

“I planned to propose to her right after she took off her mask — to show her that no matter what, I would love her for who she was. I knew she had self-esteem issues about the way she looked, but — “ he dragged his hands through his hair and gripped his golden locks in well-known frustration and resignment — “ _I didn’t care_.” 

He stared at the wall, but then turned towards Agatha and professed, “I just wish I had done it sooner.” His arms came to rest at his side, and he gazed at her with soft pleading in his eyes. “Agatha, listen — death waits for no one, so that lucky person you love? Hold on tight to them, okay? Promise yourself you won’t hold back on them because the time you have together _isn’t_ guaranteed — I learned that the hard way.”

Agatha couldn’t breathe. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, her hands slack with shock behind her back. She didn’t know what to do, what to say —

 _Fuck it_ , Agatha thought, _just say it_. 

Agatha took a step forward. She opened her mouth to say _what_ , she didn’t know, all she knew was that she _had_ to let him know — 

The sound of the front door opening stole their attention, along with the chatter of Ravan, Hort, Anadil, Hester, and Dot. The smell of poke made Tedros’ stomach grumble, breaking the tension of the moment. 

Agatha’s heart sank.

He smiled sheepishly at Agatha, already edging towards the door. “Thanks for listening, Agatha. For some reason, I feel like I can tell you anything — maybe that’s your superpower.” He gave a little laugh, squeezed her arm in thanks, and jogged out to get a poke bowl.

Agatha took some deep breaths. Her feet were frozen to the ground, her mouth slightly open to say the words she meant to say a year ago. 

From the living room, she heard her friends clamoring to find their meals. She slowly walked to the door, watching them beginning to sit down and get their energy in for tonight’s event. Agatha spotted Tedros, who tried to take the bag from Hester. 

She glared at him. “Bold of you, to come near me while I have a weapon.” 

Tedros looked confused until he saw the sharp end of a boba straw pointing upward from her fist. Anadil snatched it from her girlfriend to drink her wintermelon boba. 

Hester glared at Anadil, who calmly took the bag from Hester and began looking through it for her poke bowl, Tedros right beside her. 

Agatha couldn’t take her eyes off Tedros. Then she pressed her lips together and accepted Tedros’ promise by making her own. 

_I’ll reveal that I’m Everdear once we get a moment alone together at the Gala_. 

Then she went to eat poke and boba with her friends.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) do yall really think ima make it that easy for agatha lmao


End file.
